Adding Art to the Garden

Of the many elements we consider introducing into an outdoor space, adding art brings unique offerings to a garden. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.  Britannica Dictionary defines art as “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” Needless to say, this can take on many forms, especially in outdoor applications. The discussion spans far beyond these thoughts, but let’s explore a little.   

Perhaps a good place to start when discussing art in the garden is the concept of simplicity.  It doesn’t need to be a huge investment to make an impact.  Every summer here in our corner of Southwest Michigan, the local art museum holds an art fair – The Krasl Art Fair.   One can find anything from jewelry to sculptures.  This year we found some blown glass pieces that stole our hearts with their simple design and colors.  They serve a double purpose reminding us of a trip celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary and visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass out west.

Including art in the landscape evokes our emotions.  Maybe it’s blown glass pieces that reminds us of past experiences - maybe it’s a whimsical troll in a fairy garden that makes us audibly giggle.  Or maybe it’s a giant geometric sculpture that stops us dead in our tracks in awe and wonder.  The emotional response gives us a depth of experience we might not have found otherwise. 

Art in the garden engages us with nature.  The Arts in the Parks is a program set up by the National Parks Service to help the public interact with the national parks and the arts.  Art forms such as sculpture, painting, and even dance are used to connect people with nature and culture in the parks.  The Bird Blind Confluence, at Sandy River Delta by Maya Lin, is one example.  It is a structure made of vertical slats where visitors can stand hidden and birdwatch. 

I love that the combination of art and outdoor space influences people of all ages.  It is not age or region-specific.  The combination embodies a kind of universality.   There are takeaways for the children who run around a piece of sculpture and takeaways for the more mature ones sitting on a bench nearby.  This is true all across the globe.  It is evident by the fact that we travel to see art in the landscape in families, in groups of students, and in groups of retirees. 

In their purest forms, nature and art teach us.  We learn to see things differently.  We learn acceptance and tolerance.  We learn to see the beauty before us.  We learn to sit and be still.  These experiences can be in your own backyard with simple blown glass or in large parks with larger-than-life sculptures.  Education happens across the spectrum.

So, whether you experiment with adding ‘something that is created with imagination’ in your home garden or venture out to the many parks featuring art installations, we just hope you do!  These gifts await you.