Art & Exhibits
The Arboretum’s art collection began in 1989 with the commission and purchase of 18 pieces for indoor use within the Artworks for State Buildings program. To date, the collection totals around 200 pieces including paintings, prints, fiber art, basket art, photography, wood carving, sculpture, and functional items. A selection of these works are on display seasonally, and new pieces are added to the collection each year. Artworks are exhibited indoors and in outdoor landscape exhibits.
CURRENT EXHIBITS
Arboretum 40
On view through Sept. 12th in the Baker Exhibit Hall
EC Foyer Gallery
Box turtles
Live exhibit, conservation angle, what visitors can see and learn.
COMING SOON
Baker Exhibit Hall
Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan
Live exhibit, conservation angle, what visitors can see and learn.
Featured items from the permanent collection.
Sacred Earth
Medium: Sculpture
The Story
Sacred Earth was inspired both by the Cherokee creation story and my own feelings of appreciation and reverence for the land that ultimately feeds, clothes, shelters and makes our lives possible. Earth is more than ‘dirt,’ it has its own life, structure, and legacy that can add magic and wonder to our lives if we slow down and pay attention to it. Sharing these understandings through placement at The North Carolina Arboretum is an honor as the arboretum setting holds the sculpture like a jewel within some of our ancestral lands.
Artist: Karen Sixkiller
Frederick Law Olmsted
Medium: Bronze
The Story
Larger than life sized figurative sculpture of the father of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted.
Olmsted completed more than 500 landscape architectural projects during his tenure, beginning with Central Park in NYC and ending with a comprehensive plan for George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate. His vision for the North Carolina Arboretum was realized after his lifetime, and his influence and aesthetic remain at the core of the site design.
Artist: Zenos Frudakis
Willow Garden Kaleidoscope
Medium: Bronze
The Story
A favorite amongst visitors and staff, the Willow Garden Kaleidoscope creates intricate patterns based on the flowers and foliage of the seasonal plantings in the planter bowl, reflected to the viewer through the three bronze view-scopes mounted on gracefully arching circular arms.
Artist: Robert C. Anderson
Exhibiting Art at The North Carolina Arboretum: Expressions of Interest
Artists interested in exhibiting at the Arboretum should send their application to: exhibits@ncarboretum.org
Your application must include:
Full name of artist
Contact details
Social media and website
Artist Statement
Bio
Resume
Proposal: No more than 3 pages detailing your exhibit concept
5 – 10 images of your work
Itemized budget