I checked out the Teaching Garden at Woodward Park the other day and found some shadows including this table and chairs.

And this deck with several different shadow patterns.

And these daffodils in the shade.

This is a legacy photo of Carl Linnaeus. The scientist from the 1700’s who invented our modern system of taxonomy for organisms. He was also the original namesake of the Teaching Garden. I googled the matter to find out why his name removed from the name of the facility and I found this document from the Tulsa Garden Center explaining the matter. It reads, in part:

“In his tenth edition of Systema Naturae (1758), Linnaeus began using this system to identify mammals, and more specifically, humans.  Dubbed Homo sapiens, Linnaeus separated humans into categories where he described each “type” of human by physical characteristics, as well as behavioral and personality characteristics – something he had not done for other species.

By being published as science, Linnaeus’s descriptions of these different groups was used as a way for society to justify slavery, ethnic cleansing, and colonization – all taking place during this time – through scientific racism, a “scientific tradition in [which] biology is used not only to prove the existence of race, but also, to maintain existing social hierarchies” (Revolution and Ideology). These ideas have repeatedly been disproven and universally rejected by the modern scientific community, but their impact can still be felt today.

It goes on to say that they left the sculpture in place as an educational tool and a reminder of our past. It also has a statement from the artist, Rosalind Cook, who supports the action that the Garden Center took to change the name. They provide an academic summary of the matter and links to a bunch of resources. I support their action as well. I feel bad because they took this action in March of 2022 and I had no clue. Oh well, now I know.

I am linking this with Shadow Shot Sunday