Sculpture, Wine & Dine 2025: The Prairie Party honors restoration of Field Rotation
By Victoria Gómez, Contributing Writer
Governors State University (GovState) was the perfect backdrop with its expansive skies, and natural landscape as the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (theNate) hosted its recent annual Sculpture, Wine & Dine. This year’s theme, The Prairie Party, placed Mary Miss’ iconic earthwork “Field Rotation” (1981) at the center of the celebration, following the piece’s recent artist-led restoration.
Guests arrived on a warm late-summer evening and began their experience with a guided golf cart tour. Later, a cocktail hour invited visitors to mingle, sip specialty drinks, including a “Miss Garita” featuring a pinwheel garnish inspired by “Field Rotation,” and watch the sun sink over the prairie. Inside the Visual Arts Gallery, the exhibition “Beneath Our Feet” showcased a survey of Miss’ earthworks from the same period as “Field Rotation.” Vintage photographs documented the original construction, carried out by a “ragtag team” of students and volunteers in 1981. Guests also had the rare opportunity to meet Miss in person.
Speaking to the crowd, Miss reflected on the significance of “Field Rotation” as her first permanent work: “Instead of making a monument, I wanted something integrated into the landscape, something that revealed the land in a different way. The roots of everything I’ve done since are in this work.” Miss also highlighted the role of water in her practice, pointing to the central well in “Field Rotation” as an early example of her ongoing exploration of land-water relationships. “It was hard work every day, all day,” she said, recalling the original construction. “I’m amazed to see, 45 years later, the care that has gone into restoring it.”
The evening also marked a leadership shift on theNate Advisory Board. Outgoing president Patricia Mell Ragland announced her successor, Tim Brennan. GovState President Joyce Ester, Ph.D praised the event and the sculpture park as a whole: “I really want to thank all of you who have supported the park, financially, emotionally, and through your blood, sweat, and tears. This is an amazing part of our institution.”
Dinner was then served at Dan Peterman’s “Running Table,” a 100-foot-long outdoor installation that transformed into a communal dining experience. Guests enjoyed a barbecue buffet, breaking away from traditional gala formats to embrace a more relaxed, communal atmosphere. As the evening stretched into night and the stars rose over the prairie, desserts, conversation, and laughter closed out the celebration, reminding guests that beyond the art, theNate is also about community.
Funds raised during Sculpture, Wine & Dine support ongoing conservation of theNate’s collection, education programs, and public events. With “Field Rotation” restored and a successful Prairie Party behind them, the park looks ahead to another year of blending art, land, and people in unforgettable ways.
Victoria Gómez is a CAS English Major and Marketing and Communications Student Worker.