The Bog Blog

One of the most thilling placements of the Moore exhibition is Oval with Points. Positioned high atop a pedestal, the dark, massive form constrasts powerfully against the city skyline, framing portions of the borrowed landscape inside its central void. The vivid flowers and bizzarre plant forms of the Bog Garden rise up all around it. Most of our visitors have never seen, or even imagined, the colors and shapes of Southeastern pitcher plants and their flowers.

Dr. Jenny Cruse-Sanders, Director of Conservation and Research and this week's guest blog contributor, regularly visits native bog gardens like the one you'll see at the Garden to help develop sustainable habitats. Here's what Dr. Jenny's been up to lately...

Over the Memorial Day Holiday I took to the road like most Americans for a fieldtrip. I travelled to the panhandle of Florida to meet my colleagues from the Florida Park Service and University of Florida at Torreya State Park, just south of Chattahoochee, Florida. We were planning to conduct two days of field research to track down the critically endangered Florida Torreya (Torreya taxifolia), a coniferous tree (a tree that produces cones, rather than flowers) predicted to be headed for extinction in the next few decades. Through our research we are working to map the additional populations, identify the disease that is killing the trees, and bring additional genotypes into our ex situ (outside of the habitat) collection at the Garden for safe keeping. We hiked through a beautiful stand of forest that is an odd mixture of plants that you might expect to see in the Appalachian Mountains. In these ravines on the eastern side of the Apalachicola River it is not unusual to see a large Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) growing right next to a Needle Palm (Rapidophyllum hystrix). During the trip, I took some time to drive to the Apalachicola National Forest just south of Torreya State Park. This is one of my most favorite places on Earth! Just a few miles south of Bristol, Florida are the large expanses of flat woodlands with a tall canopy of Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) and an understory of wiregrass (Aristida sp.) that used to extend across the Southeastern United States. It is deceptively simple in appearance, but it holds one of the most diverse communities of plants in North America. As I approached the forest, I drove slowly, helping several turtles reach their destinations on the eastern side of the road. Heading south along a long flat road in the general direction of the Gulf of Mexico I scanned the grassy woodland and wetlands for the distinctive yellow-green pitchers of the Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava). Once spotted, I sloshed out into the wet ditches in my sandals to peer into pitchers, poke orchid fruits, finger the rough leaves of sunflowers, and photograph the gorgeous sedges in full bloom. These pitcher plant bogs are special places that are nutrient poor, sandy, acidic, and wet from a perched water table in the flat woodlands. The pitcher plants and their companions are only found in areas where these habitat conditions are right. As the sun was setting, I walked back to my car with my notebook, camera and only a few fire ant bites on the bottoms of my feet.
Upon my return to Atlanta, I went to our bog garden to compare the plants in bloom with what I’d seen in the Florida bogs. In the center of the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s bog is Henry Moore’s Oval with Points (1968-70). Massive and also deceptively simple, it rises out of the bog and frames the midtown Atlanta skyline. Moore’s piece was inspired by an elephant skull, native to a habitat vastly different than the one that now hosts this piece. Moore’s piece is huge and seemingly unchanging; it does remind me of the soft rounded forms of an elephant’s torso with two sharp points like tusks in the center. Although the piece appears immutable, its surroundings are ever changing. Day to day the Atlanta skyline is misty, rainy (often this spring), or lit up by the late afternoon sun. The bog below Oval with Points changes weekly and will continue to do so throughout the year.
Before the piece was installed we burned our bog (with permission) because pitcher plant bogs are naturally fire maintained. (Click here for a video of the burn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdaVU8VOKg4&feature=related). The burn mimicked a natural process in pitcher plant bogs and ensured the health of our community of special bog plants. By the time the Oval with Points was installed the bog had already recovered, and pitcherplants, orchids, sedges, and Baptisia had sent up new green shoots. Over the past few weeks, the yellow pitcher plants and white-topped pitcher (Sarracenia oreophila) plants have been putting on a show; first with their large leaves shaped like pitchers to catch insects, and then with their flowers displayed like up-side-down umbrellas. Pitcher plant flowers are uniquely designed to encourage bees carrying pollen to enter one way and allow those same bees carrying new pollen to leave a different way under a petal, therefore promoting cross pollination among flowers. This week the orchid, Tuberose grasspink (Calopogon tuberosus), is lighting up the bog. This sun-loving orchid is terrestrial (rooted in the soil) and native to Georgia.
The Atlanta Botanical Garden has recreated the special growing conditions of a pitcher plant bog to display these unusual native plants. The bog around Oval with Points will continue to change in appearance with each new species that develops and blooms over the year. Henry Moore is quoted as saying that “the observation of nature is a crucial part of an artist’s life.” I hope that the Garden visitors will return often to observe Moore’s piece as the native garden around it changes during the exhibit.

Botanical Bling

It's my pleasure introduce our guest blogger of the week, Tres Fromme. Tres has lent design expertise to numerous exhibitions and projects over the past few years including Moore in America, Orchid Daze, the new Southern Seasons Garden, and the Edible Garden scheduled to open next spring. He is an Associate with MESA Design Associates in Dallas, Texas and leads the firm’s Public Garden Studio. With degrees in both horticulture and landscape architecture, he possesses a unique combination of artistic sensibility and plant knowledge. Here's what Tres had to say about designing plantings for the Moore sculptures...

I often see Henry Moore sculptures set on rolling lawns dotted with trees or on paved plazas. (photo, right: Large Reclining Figure, 1983, OCBC Bank HQ, Singapore) The effect is either pastorally romantic or boldly modern. The Atlanta Botanical Garden has taken a unique approach, exhibiting the pieces in intimate, human-scaled garden spaces.

Moore found his inspiration in natural forms, so it makes perfect sense to return his work to the garden and all its horticultural exuberance. The sculpture placements create unique relationships among the sculptures, plants, and viewers. People are able to engage the sculptures in close proximity in the way they typically encounter the plants. The garden setting, in many ways, removes any sense of museum-like distance between people and the art.

The exhibition design encourages plants and sculpture to form a seamless integration of horticulture and art. The ABG design team was able to creatively accentuate the sculptures with annual plantings, creating intriguing compositions of color and texture.

Fine-textured flowers create a white foam lapping at the base of the milky blue and enigmatic Hill Arches. The plants move in the wind, further contrasting with the solidity of the sculpture. At night, the flowers sparkle and appear as if they are stars against the clouds of the Milky Way.
A field of pink-streaked foliage creates a living carpet on which sits Reclining Mother and Child. Veils of taller pink Spider Flowers (Cleome) form a backdrop veil to frame the piece. It as if the piece is wrapped in living fabrics. I thought pink would be a perfect color to ironically suggest the “femininity” of the piece while also contrasting with the dark patina. Of course, I wanted a brazen shade of pink to emphasize the irony and match the grandeur of Moore’s vision.

One of the boldest design gestures was placing Large Reclining Figure into an existing flower border. The piece gracefully emerges from the vegetation as if it had been there for years (even though the Garden carefully installed it weeks ago!). The sculpture reminds me of a gigantic alien animal, so I thought a naturalistic planting would provide a suitably exotic habitat. The effect is pure magic.

Moore at Night

Last night I visited the exhibition solely as a spectator, rather than as exhibitions manager. It was everything I expected and Moore. (Puns make me feel so witty...but, I digress...)The night experience in the Garden is very near and dear to me. After staffing all but one night of Chihuly nights in 2004, from April through December, it became my personal mission to ensure that all future exhibitions were superbly lit. Not that Chihuly wasn't spectacular at night, it was. However, the Garden simply wasn't designed to be open at night and had minimal ambient lighting, which put a big burden on the limited amount of show lighting to accomplish more that it was designed to do. We learned a lot that year, and Chihuly nights, along with Cocktails in the Garden, created a model for evening events in botanical gardens throughout the United States. Since then, we've added miles and miles of electrical cable and made a substantial investment in theatrical lighting. I believe it's paid off. Viewing an exhibition outdoors in the Garden at night is a revelation. The vibrant landscape recedes, freeing the sculptures from the visual competition that exists during the daytime. Shadows and highlights emerge, drawing the eye to details that may otherwise be missed. Hill Arches is a great example. With its pale green patina and all white floral planting underneath, this piece practically smiles in the sunshine all day. It's bright and bold and cheerful...if sculpture can be cheerful...just go along with me on this one! At night, it's a completely different picture. It's ghostly, eearie, like it might creep through the bed and over the fence in the dark of night. It seems to be in motion somehow.

The Garden itself comes alive at night as well. The air is thick with the scent of jasmine and agarista populifolia. And OMG, the frogs. The frogs! Outside, the bullfrogs snort away, calling out to one another quite enthusiastically. While inside the conservatory, a chorus of chirping rain frogs and large tokay geckos carries on. It's incredibly loud, and always makes me burst out laughing because it's so unexpected. It's like a giant reptilian party in the tropics.

And have I mentioned the cocktails? Moore cocktails more fun...really! This month's theme is Moore and Martinis, but you can also select a fine British beer or pretty much any kind of mixed drink. We're flexible that way, and it's all quite tasty and refreshing. This is my friend Cheryl with her tasty British beer standing inside Large Two Forms. I was so excited to see the show with her since she is English. I thought she would pop two years ago when I told her we were hosting this show. She didn't, but she and I truly enjoyed the show last night.

Taking It All In: Guest Blogger Mary Pat Matheson

Today I have a very special guest to present: Mary Pat Matheson. Mary Pat took over the reins of the Garden as executive director in July 2002. After years of steady progress, it was like someone stepped on the accelerator, propelling the garden to previously unimagined success and status not only among botanical gardens, but as a premier venue for fine art and culture here in Atlanta. I am so thrilled to have Mary Pat share her passion and perspectives on the garden and our current exhibition in today's blog.

Following Photos and Text by Mary Pat Matheson:

This is my first blogging experience, and what I’ve loved about it is the time taken to see the exhibition with “new eyes” and think about the many things that make it beautiful, interesting and bloggable. I’ve done this through the lens of a camera, and my personal lens, or perspective, as the director of a botanical garden. What’s so fascinating about the Moore in America exhibition is the relationship between the gardens and the individual sculptures. In this photograph, the totem-like Upright Motives, with their bluish green patina, are complimented by the blues and textures of the succulent garden. You can almost imagine the totems sprouting in the deserts of the southwest.

The turquoise Hill Arches float on a cloud of white Euphorbia “Diamond Frost” with a rose peaking through the background. I’ve eavesdropped on our visitors, and they are enamored with this piece and the lovely, delicate white flowers that set it off. The large circle in the middle looks like a cozy place to curl up and enjoy a quiet moment in the garden.
The urn in the foreground is one of the last remnants of Atlanta’s Cotton States Exposition, held in 1895. When I moved here, in 2002, I had never heard of the Exposition, but was amazed to see these old urns still standing after so many years. In recent years, we’ve integrated plantings in the urns to draw attention to them. Chihuly in the Garden, in 2004, showcased chandeliers in hot colors in the urns, an interesting and elegant juxtaposition of the new and the old. The urns also look amazing with Moore’s Large Two Forms.

When this piece arrived, by truck, from New York, I pulled into the Garden’s entrance and wondered why more steel was being delivered for our construction project. We’ve been building for a 1 ½ years, so it was a normal thing to see large pieces of steel delivered, but the project was done. Was I saw the turquoise color, it was the big “ahha”, that’s Henry Moore’s work on the truck. Can you imagine driving down I-95 behind a Moore?
This piece really touches me because I know the inspiration behind it. We traveled to Moore’s studio, Perry Green, north of London in sheep country, in 2007 and had the remarkable opportunity to explore his studios. They are still strewn with the bones and artifacts he collected, alabaster white set off by the whitewashed walls and maquettes all around. I love the old transistor radio wedged between his “stuff”, don’t all artists need music to work by or talk radio? Oval with Points was inspired by a huge African elephant skull that a friend of Moore’s had given to him. It still sits in the corner of his studio, massive, smooth and graceful, towering over the space. This bronze sculpture towers over our native bog, filled with pitcher plants reaching for the sky. This is certainly, our most impressive place to photograph Moore’s work with the “borrowed landscape” of Atlanta in the background.
Laura Robinson of The Henry Moore Foundation called this the Altar of Moore. I rather like that description. The orchids are paying homage to the Mother and Child. They are literally embraced by the tropical foliage and wild orchids in our collection. What better way to display art then in the lush embrace of beautiful gardens?
I felt the need to do something more out of the box in closing. As I walked through the gardens taking photographs, I noticed leaves that had fallen on the pedestals of the pieces in the woodland. Very lovely and serene. The leaves can stay on the pedestals until the next wind comes through because the Garden is not a museum, we don’t try to keep nature tidy. Reclining Figure: Angles is next to the rose garden and this lovely lady needed a blushing pink rose in her hand today.

Opening Weekend Fun Continues...

There are still a few hours left of the GRAND OPENING WEEKEND. Here's a quick peek at all the fun taking place...We delighted in the sheep at Moore's homestead in England and thought our visitors might as well. Not a baa-d idea!

The BIG DRAW, a monthly event throughout the exhibition, debuted this weekend. Young and old created chalk masterpieces on the sidewalk, visitors sketched the Moore sculptures and Garden, and artists demonstrated techniques throughout the day. The PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST began this weekend as well.

Bronze pouring by The Inferno Art Foundry was a personal favorite. It's a complicated process that's so much easier to understand if you can see it in person. If you missed the bronze pouring, we'll be hosting tours at the Foundry in upcoming months (check the website for details).
And the rain? Who cares?! It just made the sculptures glisten even more brilliantly...

Polishing Up for Openings!

The week leading up to the GRAND OPENING events (going on today!) was filled with activity. The staff of the Henry Moore Foundation was busy at work cleaning, waxing, polishing, and touching up the patinas throughout the week. Above, David Mitchinson, Head of Collections and Exhibitions, The Henry Moore Foundation, applies wax with a brush to Knife Edge Two Piece just outside the new visitor center.

James Copper, also from the Foundation, said fully 50% of the work comes after placing the sculpture. Here he cleans Mother and Baby, one of the first pieces visitors encounter in the new Southern Seasons Garden.

Construction fencing came down on April 24th throughout the site. After 18 months, it had become a fixture we had all become quite used to seeing. As it was disassembled, the new gardens were revealed and the linking up between the old and new was stunning to witness. Even though I had seen both sides almost daily for months, nothing could quite prepare me and my colleagues for the spectacular union and unveiling.

Just hours before this photo was taken, that sidewalk and many others were furiously being pressure washed. It took days to clear away all the mud from the recent rains. In the end, not only did the walkways and sculptures clean up nicely, I think we did too! Left to right: James Copper, HMF; Laura Robinson, HMF; Cathleen Cooke, ABG; and David Mitchinson; HMF.