{"id":4368,"date":"2014-02-06T06:14:58","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T13:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?post_type=article&p=4368"},"modified":"2014-02-07T13:01:10","modified_gmt":"2014-02-07T20:01:10","slug":"art-celebrated-in-the-gardens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/art-celebrated-in-the-gardens\/","title":{"rendered":"ART CELEBRATED IN THE GARDENS"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/a>

OBSERVING SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS\u00a0<\/b>FAIRCHILD TROPICAL BOTANIC GARDEN
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

FIFTH INSTALLMENT OF A SIX-PART SERIES<\/b><\/p>\n

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden,\u00a0A Cultural Proving Ground<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden was dedicated in the name of botanist and plant explorer David Grandison Fairchild (1869 \u2013 1954) on Wednesday, March 23, 1938, and for the next 75 years, a beloved South Florida venue evolved and prospered. SoMi Magazine continues to feature this 83-acre gem in this the fifth of six articles about the world-class arboretum.<\/b><\/p>\n

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden\u2019s year-long observation of its 75th year as South Florida\u2019s horticultural and cultural diamond ends this spring with the opening of the Rose-McQuillan Arts Building.\u00a0 Planned as a venue for art exhibitions and musical performances, the 3,000 square foot multi-purpose facility will complement the permanent and temporary art exhibits on display within the Garden.<\/p>\n

The facility is named for its benefactors, Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan, part-time Miami Beach residents from New York. Mr. Rose, who is a member of the board of the New York Botanical Garden said, \u201cThe thing that really grabbed us was the notion that you might come to Fairchild because it\u2019s the sort of a park, but you might stay because of something else\u2014that you might come for a gardening class and discover chamber music or an art show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exploration and discovery have been hallmarks of the FTBG since its inception.\u00a0 This has carried through with the vision of the Garden\u2019s Chairman of the Board, Bruce Greer, who has long understood that when art and science are\u00a0\u201ccross-pollinated\u201d the result is a powerful teaching tool.\u00a0 Mr. Greer\u2019s mindset has been that when it comes to art and culture, nothing is off the table for\u00a0the facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cCulturally and socially, families from all walks of life come to Fairchild. We\u2019re introducing arts and culture to people who are not out seeking it. We have the opportunity to introduce people to chamber music, good art and poetry in a setting that is very welcoming,\u201d said Mr. Greer.<\/p>\n

Designed by architect Alberto Cordoves, the one-story arts\u00a0and cultural\u00a0facility is rendered in the Mediterranean style and will be located next to the visitors\u2019 center at the main entrance off Old Cutler Road in Coral Gables. Six of Miami artist Naomi Fisher\u2019s botanical reliefs will adorn the cultural center\u2019s doors. Fisher\u2019s father was a botanist at the Garden for 35 years, where the artist practically grew up surrounded by the lush vegetation. The modern reliefs hark back to those that decorated original reliefs on some of the earlier, 1940-era buildings on the grounds. Fisher\u2019s project is an \u201cArt in Public Places\u201d project, sponsored by Miami-Dade County.<\/p>\n

Marrying art created by the human hand with nature\u2019s splendor can create a powerful and memorable experience. Fairchild\u2019s outdoor exhibits, such as Dale Chihuly\u2019s works in glass are part of the permanent collection. Twice a featured artist at the Garden, Chihuly is renowned for his complex, organic and often large-scale glass pieces. Three of his creations are on display within the Garden: \u00a0The End of the Day Tower, 2005 donated by the Clinton Family Fund, Copper Frog Foot Ikebana Stem and Lapis Blue Split Bud, 2008, which was purchased with funds raised by the 2006 Friends of Fairchild Volunteer Group and Cobalt Herons, 2005, donated by R. Kirk Landon. Cobalt Herons has been installed in a water lily pond, where the sinuous glass tubes rise, reflected in the water, and enhancing the vibrancy of the purple-blue water lilies that bloom there.<\/p>\n

Another artwork in Faichild\u2019s permanent collection is American artist, Daisy Youngblood\u2019s bronze statue titled, Standing Gorilla. The piece serves as a reminder of nature\u2019s power and its fragility (lowland gorillas are endangered due to the loss of their habitat).<\/p>\n

Many significant national and international artists have shown their work at the Garden and include:\u00a0 Fernando Botero, Roy Lichtenstein, Mark de Suvero, and Yayoi Kusama, among others. This season\u2019s Art at Fairchild exhibit featured Brazilian artist Hugo Fran\u00e7a\u2019s large-scale carvings; it will be exhibited until May 2014.\u00a0 Fran\u00e7a uses all natural materials to create functional and sustainable design pieces. Each piece uses reclaimed wood from felled, burned or dead trees. By working them into functional designs such as chairs and couches, he gives new life to trees that are sometimes hundreds of years old.<\/p>\n

Fairchild\u2019s art program was initiated about 12 years ago. The trustees were interested to attract artists to display in the Garden. Timing the exhibits to coincide with Art Basel made Fairchild the first satellite venue located outside of the Miami Beach Convention Center and established the longest relationship with the renowned international art show. This relationship formed the nucleus for the Garden\u2019s art program and the impetus to make Fairchild a cultural destination where science, art and nature could form the perfect triangle.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need a place to enjoy the world; people want to be outdoors in Miami,\u201d said Nannette Zapata, Fairchild\u2019s Chief Operating Officer<\/p>\n

The Rose-McQuillan Arts Building will be the venue for international, national and local artists and musicians. Additionally, the new building with state-of-the-art equipment will offer the proper environment for the display of delicate works of art on paper, such as botanical drawings and other archival papers in Fairchild\u2019s collection. Students who are winners of the artistic expression component of the annual Fairchild Challenge (an education program for students from elementary through high school from 250 schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties; a standards-based environmental outreach program, with a menu of multidisciplinary challenges for over 100,000 students of diverse backgrounds) will have their artwork placed on display in the arts building (traditionally they have been exhibited in the Garden House).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that this will be a thrilling moment for the children who participate,\u201d said Nannette Zapata.<\/p>\n

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has always kept sight of the founders\u2019 original intent of exploring, explaining and conserving the world of tropical plants. In addition to being an essential community resource, it is a premier conservation, educational and cultural center that annually hosts 400,000 visitors and over 100,000 school children. With the opening of the Rose-McQuillan Arts Building and the completion of the Science Village, the world of science and the world of art will be the bookends to the world\u00a0of nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are marking an important historic milestone, recognizing the incredible growth now underway and pushing our mission forward into the future in innovative ways. There has never been a more exciting time at Fairchild,\u201d said Dr. Carl Lewis, Director of Fairchild.\u00a0Visit them at www.fairchildgarden.org and follow them\u00a0on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OBSERVING SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS\u00a0FAIRCHILD TROPICAL BOTANIC GARDEN FIFTH INSTALLMENT OF A SIX-PART SERIES Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden,\u00a0A Cultural Proving Ground The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden was dedicated in the name of botanist and plant explorer David Grandison Fairchild (1869 \u2013 1954) on Wednesday, March 23, 1938, and for the next 75 years, a beloved South Florida<\/p>\n

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