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Plensa Sculpture Changes Profile of Museum Plaza

The new Meadows Museum Sculpture Plaza is hailed as “a destination not only to see art, but also a welcoming space to gather with friends.”

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Sho a white-painted, stainless-steel mesh sculpture, stands out from the crowd during the dedication of the newly renovated Meadows Museum Sculpture Plaza.

Meadows Museum director Mark Roglán calls the newly renovated museum Sculpture Plaza “a destination not only to see art, but also a welcoming space to gather with friends.”
The centerpiece of the plaza is Sho, a monumental sculpture by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa that was unveiled during the plaza dedication Oct. 7. SMU acquired the sculpture in summer 2009 through gifts from The Eugene McDermott Foundation, Nancy and Jake Hamon, The Meadows Foundation, The Pollock Foundation, the family of Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Pollock and the family of Lawrence S. Pollock III.
The plaza includes 9,000 square feet of lawn area and landscaping. A new entrance stairway and fountain integrate the museum with the rest of the campus.
The dedication initiated the exhibition Face and Form: Modern and Contemporary Sculpture in the Meadows Collection. The sculpture collection includes 21 significant works showcased together for the first time. The new plaza features a permanent installation from the museum’s collection of works by such
artists as Jacques Lipchitz, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi and Claes Oldenburg.
Santiago Calatrava’s Wave, created in 2002 specifically for the site in the plaza’s southwest corner, now can be viewed from above. The terrace was donated by Richard and Gwen Irwin in honor of his parents, William and Florence Irwin.
The creative and construction processes used by Plensa and Calatrava in the creation of Sho and Wave are documented in two exhibitions, which continue through Feb. 21, 2010, at the museum.

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