"I believe that sculpture in general
reaches out to people
on an emotional level.
It addresses two of our senses
without even trying:
sight and the sense of touch."
Artist - Pokey Park
Wild Art
This open-air sculpture exhibition features works by 16 artists who draw inspiration for their arts from the natural environment. The art works are situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens
Hatchling
Artist - Harry McDaniel
Tributary
Artist - Eli Blasko
"The sculpture’s form takes as inspiration the flowing lines found in nature, in particular the bodies of amphibians and waterways they inhabit. My daily commute to Western Carolina University traces the Tuckasegee River and several of its tributaries. Rivers, their currents and the undulating surface of water have been heavy influences in my recent work."
Artist - Jim Gallucci
“I walked and walked: in the woods, through fields, over hills, by streams – searching for some sign of normalcy amidst the COVID pandemic. And I found it. I discovered in my own backyard a great blue heron, and with it, strength and vulnerability, hope and history, stillness and trajectory.”
Leo
Artist - Pokey Park
"My love for nature and respect for its different moods began in costal Georgia where I was born. Feeling the need to capture it in another form, my creative journey began. I create with the hope that my work will bring a smile to the viewer; happiness is a very strong positive force. I believe that sculpture in general reaches out to people on an emotional level. It addresses two of our senses without even trying: sight and the sense of touch.
Leo is an enlargement of a smaller piece I did in 1985. I wanted a larger sculpture to refine the curves and flow of lines and to play with shadows and textures. Leo is a very satisfied mountain lion, all curled up and enjoying himself."
Nesting
Artist - Robert Coon
A flock of Black Birds
Artist - Jim Gallucci
