The Sculpture in the Garden exhibit displays new art at N.C. Botanical Garden

Hiding among the native plants on display at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 86 sculptures are set to bring new life to the conservation gardens this fall.

The 36th annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibit launched Saturday with a preview party that celebrated the works of the 66 North Carolina artists on show. 

Enjoying food, beverages and light conversation, patrons of the preview party toured the gardens, getting a glimpse at the varied styles and techniques encompassed within the exhibit, which was officially opened to the public Sunday for viewing, with sculptures for purchase.   

“It was a pleasure walking around and seeing all the artists,” Mary Jo Barnett, a Chapel Hill resident and aspiring artist, said. “We come every year, so it's fun to see the artists that we've seen in the past and look for what they have to offer and then enjoy the new artist presentations.”

One such new artist on display is Nancy Hardin, whose wife presented art at the previous year’s exhibit, compelling her to submit her piece, titled “Sunning Disposition.” Hardin’s ceramic sculpture, inspired by a turtle sunbathing on a log, is a display of her 30 years of art experience — and her affinity to clay.

“Clay is a natural substance that we get to use to interpret natural things,” Hardin said. “So it just feels like an extension of the earth through us.”

For the exhibit’s artists, inspiration can stem from anywhere. The sources of inspiration were varied, including bird nests, mathematical equations, and giant turtles on the Galapagos Islands, to name a few. One artist, Amy Jo Gelber, studied at the Institute of Ceramic Studies, housed within the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan. There, Gelber observed the process of digging up local “wild clay” for sculpture work, a technique she used to add color to her sculpture, “Enchanted White Barn Owl.” 

Emily Oglesby, the Communications and Exhibits Coordinator for the Botanical Garden, organized the exhibit for the seventh consecutive year. Since February, Oglesby worked to bring the display to life, including choosing which pieces would be featured and placing them within the gardens. She said that while there is a lot of effort involved in shaping the exhibit, she enjoyed creating a platform for local artists. 

“By the time the show opens, I have been looking at these pieces for months,” Oglesby said. “I've been thinking about where they'll go for months, and so when I see people come in and experience delight at one of them, that really makes me happy.”

Oglesby’s work culminated in an award ceremony that capped off the event. Jim Hirschfield, a UNC professor in the Arts and Arts History Department, adjudicated the sculptures prior to the preview party. 

After assuring the audience that the selection process was no easy task, Hirschfield announced pieces by Tinka Jordy (“Athena”), Mac McCusker (“American Bullfrog”) and Joe Coates (“Oh Deer”) as honorable mentions before declaring “Ethmoid” by Aaron Earley as Best in Show.

Earley said he spent about a month working on “Ethmoid,” the title referring to the ethmoid bone set deep within the nose. He drew inspiration for the steel and silicone sculpture from the anatomical models he used in a middle school science class, he said.

“As opposed to a medical specimen, something that was meant to inform,” Earley said. “What if it was something that was familiar, but also beautiful as an object, and hence, the piece.”

In addition to Hirshfield’s distinctions, the Botanical Garden will award three People’s Choice Awards based on a community vote, open through November 21 under the Sara Waitt Breezeway in the gardens.

The Sculpture in the Garden Exhibit is open free of charge through Sunday, December 8. Director of the Botanical Garden Damon Waitt said the exhibit helps educate people about plants, even when perhaps their only intention was to enjoy the art. 

“Each [annual exhibit] seems to surpass the last, and it brings in this whole new audience to the garden,” Waitt said.

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