Lesson plan

Column I

Column I is a 1983–1984 stainless steel sculpture by James Rosati, installed on the Stanford University campus in Stanford, California, United States. The abstract artwork was installed to commemorate Albert Elsen, an art history professor at Stanford for more than 25 years, who died in 1995. Elsen appreciated Column I and wanted the piece in Stanford's collection, but was unable to acquire the artwork before his death. Stanford University Museum of Art's Lyn Cox said, "[The sculpture] has a good conversation with the palm trees around it. The palm trees say something about calmness and peacefulness in their own way, and 'Column I' responds in a similar but different way, resonating with them."

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Article summary

Column I is a 1983–1984 stainless steel sculpture by James Rosati, installed on the Stanford University campus in Stanford, California, United States. The abstract artwork was installed to commemorate Albert Elsen, an art history professor at Stanford for more than 25 years, who died in 1995. Elsen appreciated Column I and wanted the piece in Stanford's collection, but was unable to acquire the artwork before his death. Stanford University Museum of Art's Lyn Cox said, "[The sculpture] has a good conversation with the palm trees around it. The palm trees say something about calmness and peacefulness in their own way, and 'Column I' responds in a similar but different way, resonating with them."

Key claims

  1. date of death: 1995 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "1995". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1281991856

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.