The 20th annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibition opens with a special gala reception on Friday (Sept. 14) from 5 to 7 p.m.
It’s a fall tradition. Each year for the past two decades, the display gardens at the North Carolina Botanical Garden sprout a crop of unique creations by North Carolina artists. Nearly 50 one-of-a kind sculptures placed amid the native wildflowers and shrubs delight garden visitors for two months.
The 20th annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibition opens with a special gala reception on Friday (Sept. 14) from 5 to 7 p.m. The public and media representatives are invited to preview the art, meet the artists and exhibition founders Kathleen Buck and Ken Moore, and enjoy refreshments and acoustic guitar entertainment. Award winners will be announced by the judges.
The invitational show runs through Nov. 16 and will feature work by approximately 30 North Carolina artists. The sculptures come in a variety of media — from stone to stainless steel, concrete to clay, chain-sawed wood to recycled aluminum.
“Every year, the creativity and thoughtfulness of each piece are an inspiration to me,” said Stephen Keith, curator of the sculpture show. “Two months is not enough time to thoroughly take in all these thought-provoking pieces.”
The N.C. Botanical Garden, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is located off the US 15-501 Bypass at Old Mason Farm Road in Chapel Hill. Admission to the Botanical Garden, as well as to the sculpture exhibition, is free. Geared toward all ages, Sculpture in the Garden appeals to the casual observer as well as the serious art collector. Most pieces are available for purchase, although they remain at the garden until the show closes.
Sculpture in the Garden is made possible through the financial support of the Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc., the membership support organization for the garden. For more information, call (919) 962-0522 or visit www.ncbg.unc.edu.
Images of award-winning pieces from the 2006 Sculpture in the Garden exhibit may be seen at http://ncbg.unc.edu/pages/29/
Botanical Garden contacts: Stephen Keith, (919) 962-0522 or skeith@email.unc.edu; Laura Cotterman, (919) 962-0522 or lmcotter@email.unc.edu
News Services contact: Susan Houston, (919) 962-8415 or susan_houston@unc.edu