The ‘tree of knowledge’ sculpture, created by Strijdom van der Merwe, has been situated outside the Winkie Direko building since 2009. In May 2017, it underwent much-needed refurbishment to restore it to its former glory.
The original paint was stripped down to bare metal and a new shiny coat of red paint was applied. Renowned metal and woodwork restorer, Waldo Human, was called in to repair this beautiful sculpture.
The tree of knowledge was originally installed on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State as part of the Lotto Sculpture-on-Campus Project.