Not only is 2024 the 50th anniversary of the University of Regina, it’s the 25th anniversary of Joe Farard’s sculpture “Mind’s Garden,” which has resided in between the Library and Wascana Lake since 1999. The piece’s 16 panels are constructed of cast bronze using the “lost styrofoam” process, in which Fafard’s images are projected on the styrofoam and cut with a cold knife. Fafard then shaped and rounded the pieces using a torch. The shaped pieces are placed in sand into which molten bronze is poured, replacing the styrofoam.
The first and third photos in this post (both taken in 1997) were part of a recent donation to the U of R Archives of materials from the Douglas Udell Gallery. Doug Udell was a noteworthy Canadian art dealer and gallery owner who was a friend and champion of Joe Farard, in addition to many other contemporary Canadian artists. The first image is of Farard and businessman/philanthropist Gordon Diamond, who funded the creation of the work and who would later officially gift it to the University. The third image shows Fafard surveying the site which would later house “Mind’s Garden.” Image 2 is the sculpture in August 2024.
