Outdoor sculpture 'Reverie' to be dedicated at quilt museum

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln on May 22 will dedicate the outdoor sculpture "Reverie," installed outside the new International Quilt Study Center and Museum, 1523 N. 33rd St.

The sculpture, created by California artist Linda Fleming, was commissioned and donated by Robert Duncan, Dianne Duncan Thomas and Kathryn Dawn Duncan to honor their mother, Betty Duncan, who loves the art of quilting.

Following the 6 p.m. reception in the quilt center, University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken and University of Nebraska Foundation CEO Terry Fairfield will speak at a ceremony in front of the sculpture.

Betty Duncan became interested in quilting as a girl when she watched her mother piece quilts in the summer and quilt them in the winter. She began quilting in earnest after her children were grown and her daughter started quilting in the mid-1970s.

Dianne Thomas said, "Betty continues to work on her quilts almost daily and meets with her small group weekly. She is thrilled that her family chose to honor her with this sculpture at a venue that features three of her great loves: quilts, art, and gardens."

The 14-foot by 27-foot sculpture uses swirling ribbons of steel to evoke a sinuous flow around an interior space with chairs available for visitors. Renowned artist Linda Fleming wrote of "Reverie": "The structure will create a transparency that allows the large enclosed space to be filled with light and the exterior to constantly change. As one moves around the work, the overlapping planes form continuously shifting layers with sunlight, producing ever-changing patterns that transform inside and outside throughout the day and the year. The complexity and repeated modules reflect the labor of making analogous to quilting. When the chairs are occupied it becomes a gathering place reminiscent of the quilting bee: a state of mind as well as a place."

The sculpture, one of 35 outdoor works in the Sheldon Museum of Art Sculpture Gardens on the UNL campuses, was fabricated by TMCO of Lincoln and put in place by Davis Erection Company Inc. of Lincoln.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays and major holidays. Docent-led tours begin at 11 a.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for non-UNL students with ID and children; $10 for families; free for children under 5, museum members, and UNL faculty, staff and students with ID. For more information, call (402) 472-6459 or visit www.quiltstudy.org. The International Quilt Study Center is an academic program of the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design in the UNL College of Education and Human Sciences.

Sheldon Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing on American art. The museum, 12th and R streets on the UNL City Campus, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is available on the Sheldon Web site, www.sheldon.unl.edu.