In the 1870s, Woods Quad was a drill field for military cadets in training; in the 1970s it was a hangout for students and faculty. Since the mid-1990s, Woods Quad has been home to a growing number of outdoor sculptures, some definitely temporary, some possibly permanent. This past summer, Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Olin officially dedicated the quadrangle as the Woods Quad Sculpture Garden. Billy Lee’s Homage to Brancusi has made the southeast corner of the little quad its home since the sculpture won the 1993 Alabama Biennial Purchase Award. Since then, alumni artists Joe McCreary’s Goldie 1971 and Lindsay Lindsey’s Fibonacci Spiral have been ensconced in the two north corners. Associate Professor Craig Wedderspoon’s Montgomery Marker sits in the southwest corner at Manly Hall. His Vessel Series #3, part of his solo exhibition at the Birmingham Museum of Art, is the latest sculpture at the quad’s center. For more about the sculpture garden, go to this page.
