Rich Soil is a new exhibit at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden you'll want to visit if you enjoy art and history.
The exhibit was created by Kristine Mays and has toured the country, including Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden in Washington, D.C., and Filoli Historic House & Garden in California. The exhibit officially opened at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on January 18, 2025.
Based on Alvin Ailey's dance composition "Revelation", this body of work honors the ancestors of this land - those who lived, walked, and tended to it.
Rich Soil features 29 life-size sculptures made from thousands of wire loops and hooks arranged in 7 groups in iconic locations throughout the garden.
I checked out the exhibit this past weekend with my tween boys and teen daughter. Upon entering the E. Claiborne Robins Visitors Center, we were immediately greeted by two statues that are referred to as The Conjuring.
The remaining six exhibits are strategically positioned throughout the garden. Therefore, we had to tour the entire garden to find them.
My daughter’s favorite sculpture grouping was the Not Just Happenstance located in Grace Arents Garden because one of the sculpture was in dancing pose.
I loved the dress sculptures placed in numerous areas of the garden; however, my favorite was the hoodie sculpture, which was part of the Little Worlds Within Us grouping located near the Margaret Streb Conifer Garden.
Kristine captures the ancestral stories beautifully. Personally, we were all astonished by how intricate and unique each sculpture was. It's truly an amazing work of art!
Detailed information about each sculpture location and the artist's interpretation can be found on the Lewis Botanical Garden website. The exhibit runs until March 9th, 2025, which is included with Garden admission and free for members.
