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Thomas Battersby Child Jr. — Gilgal Sculpture Garden
Thomas Battersby Child Jr.

Gilgal Sculpture Garden

1947

This enigmatic sculpture garden features massive carved stone figures and engraved boulders arranged along a shaded walkway beneath towering cottonwood trees. Created by Thomas Battersby Child Jr., the work combines monumental stone carving with intimate landscape design, presenting abstract and figurative forms that invite contemplation and multiple interpretations. The weathered surfaces of the stones, some carved with mysterious symbols and faces, create an atmosphere of archaeological discovery within an urban park setting. Distinctive for its integration of natural landscape elements with hand-carved artistic intervention, the garden functions as both public artwork and communal gathering space, reflecting mid-century experimental approaches to sculpture and environmental art. Photo by LizMartinSLC on Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Medium
Carved stone sculptures and engraved boulders

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About this work

Thomas Battersby Child Jr., Gilgal Sculpture Garden, 1947

This enigmatic sculpture garden features massive carved stone figures and engraved boulders arranged along a shaded walkway beneath towering cottonwood trees. Created by Thomas Battersby Child Jr., the work combines monumental stone carving with intimate landscape design, presenting abstract and figurative forms that invite contemplation and multiple interpretations. The weathered surfaces of the stones, some carved with mysterious symbols and faces, create an atmosphere of archaeological discovery within an urban park setting. Distinctive for its integration of natural landscape elements with hand-carved artistic intervention, the garden functions as both public artwork and communal gathering space, reflecting mid-century experimental approaches to sculpture and environmental art. Photo by LizMartinSLC on Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Medium
Carved stone sculptures and engraved boulders
Year
1947
Seen at
Gilgal Sculpture Garden

Related themes

Figurative Sculpture, Modernist Art, Twentieth Century, Carved Stone, Stone Carving, Landscape Art, Botanical Setting, Sculpture Garden, Spiritual Art, Public Art, Outdoor Installation, Monumental Sculpture, Environmental Art, Abstract Forms, Civic Space, Salt Lake City, Weathered Materials, Artistic Landmark, Symbolic Imagery, Public Installation