Background Information

The sculpture is made from squared off and reshaped bedrock. It represents students being formed by their experiences at UW-Whitewater just as natural forces form the land. According to the artist the title, 'The Lay of the Land', refers to the personal 'geography' of one's intellectual, emotional and spiritual development. Each block also incorporates an aspect of glacial formations that were carved in the land in Southeastern Wisconsin. Falkman noted that "the mounds of the drumlins, the shapes of the eskers, the depressions of the kettles and rises of the moraines are all represented, but on a scale that in turn references not just the body of the earth but our bodies." The six large pieces were sculpted from Indiana limestone, which range in weight from 2,200 - 8,480lbs. Falkman, a skillful artist, was in the Peace Corps and attended the University of Illinois-Champaign to receive her bachelors' degree. She has created many sculptures, including international projects and numerous exhibitions. (Funded by the Wisconsin Arts Board’s Percent for Art program)