WEDNESDAY,JULY 12,2006
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3
Courtvard's beautification to begin
BY TOM SLAUGHTER
tslaughter@kansan.com
KANSAN STFFE WRITER
Emily Louni, Watson Library employee, and Nazim Louni, Algeria graduate student, enjoy lunch in the garden just south of The Museum of Anthropology.
In recent years, Weaver Courtyard a - campus landmark adjacent to the Museum of Anthropology - has looked shaggy and run-down. Years of inattention combined with the microburst in March have left the area in dismal condition. The University of Kansas, however, has plans to rejuvenate the area and turn the downtrodden spot into the beautiful courtyard it once was.
The University has completed the planning stages for the courtyard beautification, but the actual reconstruction will probably not be completed until the fall or early spring, Jeffery B. Weinberg, assistant to the chancellor, said.
There is no specific timetable for completion because the work needs to be done in several stages, Weinberg said. The first stage will revolve around replacing the red, square tiling of the courtyard floor. The second stage will involve the ordering and installation of benches into the courtyard. The final stage will involve the placement of new artwork.
The new artwork was donated by the Spencer Museum of Art. It consists of
four modern pieces sculpted by Kansas City, Mo., artist Richard Hollander.
The courtyard was dedicated on June 19, 1960, by the Weaver family of Lawrence and the M.T. Veatch family of Kansas City, Mo., in memoriam of Art Weaver, who founded Weaver's Department Store Inc., 901 Massachusetts St.
The original courtyard was dedicated with three works of art: a 17th century fountain piece by Legros, a sculpture entitled "Resurrection" by German sculptor Georg Kolbe and a bust of Pierre- Auguste Renoir by French painter and sculptor Aristide Maillol.
The Maillol bust was stolen in December 1967. The remaining works were removed on April 21, 1970, and were placed in the art museum. They have remained there since.
Weinberg said that this time the University was going to take measures to assure that none of the new artwork could be stolen.
"After the restoration, the Hollander pieces will be anchored permanently so that there's no reasonable possibility of theft," Weinberg said.
While the idea of reinstalling the Kolbe sculpture and the Legros fountain piece would seem ideal, Weinberg said that the pieces were simply too
valuable and too delicate to go back outside. He estimated that they were originally worth $5,000, but as the value of art has increased in recent years, they are now probably worth more than $250,000.
Weinberg estimated the project
would cost between $10,000 and $12,000. The costs are being funded by private donations.
Joe Flannery, president and CEO of Weaver's, expressed excitement over the planned improvements to the courtyard, and said Weaver's was
making a donation to the University for the project.
"It's going to be a beautiful courtyard for people to enjoy," Flannery said. "Naturally, we're ecstatic about it."
—Edited by Dani Hurst