Cultural Gardens Part II (5/8/2016)

Sunday, May 8, 2016
Happy Mothers' Day! A sunny day, but cool. Time to see a few more Cultural Gardens in Rockefeller Park.
Today we started at the northern end, parking at the Rockefeller Park Greenhouse.

Albanian Cultural Garden (2012) was
dedicated on the 100th anniversary of Albanian independence

Mother Teresa (2012) by Kreshnik Xhiku

Mother Teresa detail of rosary beads

Armenian Cultural Garden (2010)
designed by Berj A Shakarian

Armenian Alphabet Tablet;
the alphabet was developed to make the Bible
accessible to the Armenian people

Armenian Alphabet blocks

On the back of the blocks are the
"Pride of the Nation," 33 people noted
for their historical and cultural contributions

The layout is in the shape of a vesica piscis (the
intersection of two circles), a symbol of Christ and signifying
the conversion of Armenia as the first Christian nation in 301 CE

Azerbaijan Cultural Garden (2008)

Kent and Bob show the size of Hearth (2008)
by Khanlar Gasimov, a stainless steel bowl
that allows one to see reflections of earth and sky
in its interior and exterior curves

And we thought it was a receptacle for an eternal flame!

Romanian Cultural Garden (1967)

George Enescu (1957 by B Caragea),
Romanian composer and conductor;
the statue originally stood in a public square in
Bucharest before being moved here;
George Enescu often conducted the Cleveland
Philharmonic Orchestra in Severance Hall

George Enescu watches over this robin's nest!

Serbian Cultural Garden (2008)

Nikola Tesla (2015, replacement of 2008 bust
that was stolen), Serbian scientist and inventor,
known for contributions to electrical
alternating current (AC) design

"The genius who lit the world"

Icon of St Sava (2009), patron saint of the Serbian people,
with lettering on the wall: "Only Unity Saves the Serbs"

Marble Serbian coat of arms (Serbian cross with four Cs)
with pebble mosaic frame; the mosaic is a
reproduction of those found at the Patriarchate of Pec
 and Zica Monasteries in Serbia

Bust of King Peter I (2008),
People's King and Liberator of Serbia

Bust of Vuk Karadzic (2015), Serbian linguist
and author of first Serbian Dictionary

Bust of Michael Pupin (2008), Serbian-American
physicist and inventor

Bust of Stevan S Mokranjac (2013),
Serbian composer and music educator

Bust of Petar Petrovich Njegos (c 1932),
Serbian poet and philosopher

Serbia and Croatia were part of the Yugoslav Cultural Garden until the break up of the country in 1991. The Yugoslav Cultural Garden was re-dedicated as the Slovenian Cultural Garden, and the bust of Njegos was removed until re-dedicated in the Serbian garden in 2008.

Back in Shaker Heights, Brynne helps show the dogwood trees.

The new 5-foot pink dogwood in
the front yard

Pink dogwood blossom

The transplanted dogwood in
the backyard

Traditional dogwood blossom

We still have a few more Cultural Gardens to see sometime in the future.