by Jerry Austin '06 and Stephanie Kisiel '05
Charleston-born Robert Mills (1781-1855) was the first professionally trained American architect. Probably best known for his design of the Washington Monument, his Greek Revival or neo-classical buildings were important not only to South Carolina's built environment, but to the architectural presence of Washington, D.C. Although the Little Chapel (pictured in the background) is a modest design by Mills, Jerry Austin's Architectonic Benches pay homage to Mills by using oversized architectural elements as formal seating in this meditative garden.
In sympathetic contrast to the classical design found in Austin's benches or Mills' Little Chapel, Stephanie Kisiel has borrowed characteristics from Zen gardens in her grouping of found boulders. Using the organic complexity of rocks as a point of departure, the artist is encouraging a contemplative conversation between nature and visitors to this meditative garden.