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Feb 19, 2025

Gardens' games debut April 27 • Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff • Iowa State University

By Chelsea Davis, News Service April 26, 2019 Four-year-old Bruno Kimble of Ames plays at the "BEEs Maze" sculpture installed this week at Reiman Gardens. The "BEEs Maze" is scaled to be used by all

By Chelsea Davis, News Service April 26, 2019

Four-year-old Bruno Kimble of Ames plays at the "BEEs Maze" sculpture installed this week at Reiman Gardens. The "BEEs Maze" is scaled to be used by all ages, especially toddlers and young children. Photo by Christopher Gannon.

Find your favorite toys and lawn games at Reiman Gardens this year -- each with an artistic and ecological twist.

The "Nature of the Game" exhibit is part of Reiman Gardens' 2019 theme: Toys and Games. Eight larger-than-life toys and games, designed by Iowa State faculty, alumni, students and Reiman Gardens staff, will be displayed throughout the gardens April 27 through Oct. 6.

"It's almost revolutionary as far as exhibits go," said Ed Lyon, director of Reiman Gardens.

That's because public gardens typically seek out large exhibits they can bring to their gardens to attract visitors. Reiman Gardens is reversing that tradition by enlisting the help of Reinaldo Correa, lecturer in architecture, and the College of Design's Institute for Design Research and Outreach to design the interactive exhibit. After its year in Ames, the exhibit will be leased to different venues.

Architecture, industrial design and mechanical engineering students and structural engineering alumni teamed up with Correa to plan the exhibit, working closely with Reiman Gardens staff to bring their vision to life.

"The mission is to educate people about the beauty of nature," said Aaron Steil, assistant director of Reiman Gardens. "The artistic and ecological elements deepen this exhibit to be more meaningful and impactful."

The titled projects are:

Reiman Gardens staff are creating three more pieces in-house: giant dice, a fan of cards with photo-op face cut-outs and a playhouse shaped like a speed cube. Twelve fabricators in Iowa and Ohio, together with Correa's team, are working to finish in time for the April 27 grand opening.

"Giant lawn games are not unknown to public parks and gardens," Lyon said. "But we wanted to take it a step further. From a national public gardens perspective, this exhibit will make an impact."

Reiman Gardens' outdoor exhibit features interactive, larger-than-life toys and games.