Date: June 5, 2007
Governors State University
Contact: Eric Matanyi
Phone: (708) 534-4044
Email: e-matanyi@govst.edu
Fax: (708) 534-8399
For Immediate Release
University Park, Illinois, June 5, 2007 – Southside Chicagoland residents don’t have to travel downtown to see sculpture by Mark diSuvero at Millennium Park. They can visit the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park on the grounds of Governors State University. The director and curator of the sculpture park, Geoffrey Bates, is offering regular tours of the 26 artworks in the world-class collection.
As part of an effort to raise the region’s awareness of the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, a series of informal walking tours have been scheduled for the general public. The tours will kick-off at 2 p.m., on the first and third Sundays of the month, beginning Sunday, June 17, and continuing through Sunday, October 21.
There is no charge for the tour. Visitors are asked to gather at the open area near the lake behind the Hall of Governors in Building B at the university.
Comfortable footwear is recommended and visitors should plan to spend one-and-a-half to two hours walking through the park. Tours will be conducted rain or shine, however, thunderstorms will force a cancellation.
“During their visit, guests will be introduced to most of the sculptures and artists in the collection, as well as the history of the park itself. My plan is to provide insight into some of the artist’s methods and ideas behind the works, as well as explain why the collection we have here in University Park is truly world-class,” said Bates.
Families are welcome and there will be activity sheets for children to complete during the tour. Tour content will be gauged to the general tenor and age of the audience.
The tours are part of a series of special events that are planned for the coming months. The Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park at Governors State University is open from dawn until dusk, 365 days a year. It includes twenty-six sculptures by a variety of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists including significant works by Mark diSuvero, Mary Miss, Bruce Nauman, Martin Puryear, Joel Shapiro, and Richard Hunt.
Governors State University is located at 1 University Parkway, University Park. For more information about the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, scheduling tours, or upcoming programs, contact park staff at (708) 534-4486, e-mail sculpture@govst.edu, or visit the park’s website at www.govst.edu/sculpture.
