The Arboretum at Penn State

                The Arboretum is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Penn State campus.  The endless amounts of exotic plants and flowers is enough to keep anyone entertained for at least a little while, even if they are not a nature lover.  Some of the sights at the arboretum are unlike anything I have ever experienced; such as the map of Pennsylvania engraved into slate, or the pond filled with lily pads and some of the most unique flowers I have ever seem.  Witnessing all of these sights was definitely a great experience that I would recommend to anyone.

                I have never actually been inside the botanical garden at the arboretum.  I have passed it numerous times but never taken the time to see what was inside.  The sights were definitely more interesting than I expected.  Nature has never really grabbed my attention because when I think of nature I think of a boring forest or a simple lake.  These are not very exciting places to be which is why I have never gone out of my way to experience the arboretum.  However after walking around the arboretum for a few minutes, I realized that this was easily more captivating than what I anticipated.  The map of Pennsylvania was the first thing to catch my attention.  It was a large map engraved into a slate with detailed rivers, and names of towns all included.  This blew my mind because I have never seen anything like this before, and I was also amazing that someone was able to create such a detailed and accurate map like that while engraving it into a slate.  The next thing that caught my attention was the different types of plants they had there.  Many were flowers I had never seen before.  They almost looked fake because that’s how colorful and exotic they looked, and many of these flower also felt very hard, which made them feel even more fake.  One of my favorite parts was the little wooden shed/walkthrough that had giant squash hanging from the ceiling.  This was certainly very aesthetically pleasing to walk through because it was a beautiful sight that is hard to find anywhere around here besides the arboretum.

                The arboretum was unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I would definitely recommend visiting it to anyone.  Everyone should experience the sights there at least once, because it is the only thing like it around here.  The different types of plants could not be found anywhere else.  I certainly have never seen anything like it before.  However, I am not sure if I’ll ever take the time to go back.  I probably wouldn’t go out of my way but if I’m free for an hour or so and my friends wanted to check it out I would without a doubt go.  The reason why I wouldn’t go out of my way is because I have experienced it before, and it’s not like they are going to change the plants or exhibits.  It will remain the same, and one experience is sufficient to me.  However the arboretum was still an excellent place to go to experience how beautiful nature can be.    

Palmer Museum of Art

         The piece of art I chose is the Blackfoot Delegation to Washington.  This sculpture was created in 1993 by Marisol, because the Native American leaders of the Blackfoot tribe requested an artistic work created for the world's fair in Seville, Spain in 1993.  The piece is a wooden sculpture where five Native American men are looking straight ahead.  Three of them are sitting down and have a tool in one of their hands.  The three tools are different.  There are two more men standing behind the three sitting down.  Their bodies are made out of simple blocks of wood with little detail added to them.  The faces are carved into more detail but still do not look that realistic.  Their hands are the only part of the sculpture that has great, realistic detail.  Everything down the veins are sculpted out, and they look almost out of place and eerie compared to the simple wooden body.  The three men sitting down are also wearing hats.  One looks like a crown, while the others are not so recognizable.

        The rhetorical situation of the piece is that the Blackfoot tribe wanted their culture represented in an art festival.  The sculpture is based off of an old picture from 1916, where five leaders of the tribe were going to Washington and negotiating a land settlement.  The faces look very serious and dignified, for they were obviously a proud tribe who wanted to keep their land.  However, their faces also look disappointed,  most likely because they were being forced to leave their land.  This connects with my emotions because the Blackfoot tribe appears to be full of pride and history, so it is rather sad that these people were forced from the land that they loved.  If I was forced from my home I would be furious, because it is where I grew up and it has a very special place in my heart, just as the Blackfoot tribe's land is to them.  The artist creates credibility because next to the exhibit there is the picture that this piece is based off of.  There is a clear resemblance of the real people of the photograph in the wooden sculpture.  Marisol is also a respected artist who has created many well known pieces.  The claim that Marisol was trying to make is that this tribe is very connected with nature.  He makes this claim by portraying their bodies as simple blocks of wood.  The people in the sculpture also do not have anything flashy or unnecessary with them.  They get what they need from nature and do not waste anything.  

        The trip to the Palmer Museum of art was an enjoyable one.  I am not typically a museum go-er but many of the works at the museum were quite fascinating to me.  However I do not see myself going back.  As much as I appreciated some of the works in the museum, paintings and sculptures do not grab my attention as much as other works of art such as music.  With that being said, the trip was definitely a good experience and it opened me up to other forms of art.

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