Exhibits and Art at the Garden
There are many ways to explore and learn about the natural world. We regularly host exhibits that help to interpret the natural world of which we are a part or that represent an artist's view of nature.
- Exhibits in the Botanical Art Gallery ↓
- Exhibits in the Pegg Exhibit Hall ↓
- Annual Sculpture in the Garden Exhibition ↓
In the DeBerry Gallery for Botanical Art & Illustration
Every two months, we feature a new exhibit of nature art or botanical illustration. The gallery is open during Garden visiting hours.
Currently Showing . . .
SEED PLAY—textile art by Nancy G. Cook
through February 27
Nancy Cook, internationally exhibited artist from Charlotte, NC, creates realistic images of natural objects in a highly exaggerated scale with textiles, ink, and thread. "Seed Play," a series exploring the architecture of seeds in a whole-cloth quilt format, focuses on tree and shrub seeds and fruits as metaphors for life's riches. Working directly from collected specimens, Ms. Cook's designs are based on research and detailed sketches.
"What differentiates one species' seeds from another? Using the uniqueness of tree seeds as metaphor for all of life, I strive to illustrate that each individual is unique and wonderful by focusing with admiration and care on a part of the tree that is often overlooked. My artwork combines my passions for nature, texture, color and women’s work as art. I strive for lively compositions using hand-guided machine quilting for bas relief and add additional dimension with hand stitching."
In the Eleanor Smith Pegg Exhibit Hall
Showing through February 20, 2012 . . .
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN CELEBRATION:
In Praise of Ancient Mountains, Old-Growth Forests, and Wilderness
Photographs by Jim Valentine
Join us on Sunday, February 19, 2 to 5 pm, to meet James Valentine and participate in a unique presentation, "Falconry: The Ancient Connection," that includes a live falconry demonstration. The event, which also includes refreshments, a video, and book signing, is cosponsored by UNC Press, publisher of Valentine's book. We gratefully acknowledge Tom Kenan, whose generous support enables us to offer this unusual event for FREE. Please send RSVP to Lauren Davis so we can plan for the reception.
This new exhibit is intended to inspire appreciation for old-growth forests of the Southern Appalachians. Twenty photographs by naturalist photographer James Valentine are reproduced on large-format canvas and hang in the Eleanor Smith Pegg Exhibit Hall of the Education Center. An exhibition guide provides descriptions of the sites where the big trees were photographed, and a cross-section of a large oak tree offers a tactile experience for reading the age of a tree.
Working with some of the foremost researchers on old-growth forests, James Valentine created photographic portraits of giant trees and landscapes of the Southern Appalachians. One of the greatest concentrations of old-growth forests in the southern Blue Ridge region is in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of North Carolina and Tennessee. In addition, over 100,000 acres of remnant old-growth forests are found outside that park on national forest lands. These federal holdings combined add up to over a quarter of a million acres, making the Southern Appalachian region home to the third largest concentration of old-growth forests in the eastern United States.
Walking hundreds of miles over mountain trails with large-view cameras over several decades, Valentine produced this collection of rare, large-format environmental art photographs. A complete set of the photographs, combined with text by author Chris Bolgiano, can be found in the book Southern Appalachian Celebration: In Praise of Ancient Mountains, Old-Growth Forests, and Wilderness, (University of North Carolina Press 2011), sold in the Garden Gift Shop.
Coming Soon . . .
PLANT THIS, NOT THAT: Alternatives to Invasives
Opening Reception and Presentation: February 25, 1 pm
Please join us for the opening of this special exhibit prepared by graduates of the Garden's Botanical Illustration Certificate Program. Six talented artists have created a series of exhibit panels explaining problems associated with invasive plant species in our landscape and providing examples of beautiful native plants that can be used in our gardens instead of the invasives.
The opening event will feature a talk by the Garden's Associate Director for Natural Areas and Conservation Programs, Johnny Randall, followed by a reception with the artists, who will discuss their work. The even is FREE, but please send RSVP to Lauren Davis so we can plan the reception.
Sculpture in the Garden Exhibition
Every fall the display gardens at the North Carolina Botanical Garden sprout a crop of unique creations by North Carolina artists. A group of one-of-a kind sculptures placed amid the native wildflowers and shrubs delight garden visitors for well more than a month. For more information, please contact the curator of the show.
Gathering (left) by Michael Waller, Best in Show 2011, and
Cotton Light Column (right) by Jim Gallucci, First Place 2011.
To see more photos of the 23rd ANNUAL SCULPTURE IN THE GARDEN exhibition, visit the Garden's Facebook photo gallery.
Return to the EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS page to find other public programs, such as Classes & Workshops, Lectures, Hikes & Tours.
Last updated by Laura Cotterman on February 05, 2012 at 02:05:39 pm.
