On Thursday, Nov. 16, Visitor Services Manager at Chanticleer Gardens Anne Sims happily visited the second floor of Widener. Sims was at Cabrini after being invited by the Introduction to Drawing and Painting class.
A few weeks ago, Professor Cassandra Maxwell took the class on a field trip to Chanticleer Garden because, “this class is to help students see what is beautiful in the world,” Maxwell said. “The garden closes in the end of October and I wanted to get this project in.”
The students were told to explore the garden and find a component that they would like to draw. Then the students began to sketch, and some even took photos so they could work on their drawings after the trip ended.
The works of art started as sketches and gradually were turned into drawings. The finished product was drawn in only black on vellum, a transparent type of paper, and then hung in front of a white piece of paper.
When Sims arrived she was greated by all of the students in the class and told the class how happy she was that they suggested she come out to Cabrini to see their finished products. “I am really impressed,” Sims said as she viewed over 15 works of art.
Sims went around to each picture and asked the artist why they chose the certain place in the garden and then shared stories with the class of her favorite parts in the garden.
After the presentation, Maxwell explained to Sims that she always has a pleasure doing this project with Chanticleer. She said that the garden has so many beautiful parts that “it’s always interesting to me to see what the students pick.”
Before leaving, Sims was so impressed with the artwork that she asked how long they would be on display. Sims planned to bring her staff members back to Cabrini to view the drawings but, since they will not be on display much longer, Maxwell put the pieces in a portfolio and lent them to Maxwell to show the rest of her staff.
The Chanticleer artwork in no longer hanging in the second floor of Widener, but there are many other projects done by the classes still hanging for viewing.
