Nature's Art: The Arboretum

The John C. Gifford Arboretum is a botanical garden located at the northwest corner of the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables.  It hosts living collections of plants intended primarily for scientific study.  Inspired in the work done my Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta, our class has co-opted the arboretum's main role to turn it into an art space.  By bringing elements of nature into our blog's gallery they have documented their outdoor explorations, recreating a natural environment with poses that allude to a forest setting.

Three Flowing

Christina Beltran, Danielle McIntosh, Alexia Hirlemann

Just as plant life strives to survive, reaching to garner strength and vitality searching for a flow of nourishment through water and sunlight. We humans do too.  Our souls and bodies require nourishment; it’s important for the health of our inside and outside well-being that we remain grounded, and still reach up, reach out and pursue more in life.

The Rising

Amanda Clichy-Silva, Angela Moon, Destiny Washington

The tree is the foundation grounding us. We are an extension of the tree that keeps us connected to our source of life, the earth.  Working together, in concert with each other, one downward into the ground and the other upward towards the sky, we can be uplifted into a different dimension.  In turn, rising from this deep connection with the earth allows the tree, others and ourselves to grow.

Self-Destruction

Isabella Iglesias, Carmen Boyd, Ana Teresa Moreno, Myra Orillac

We decided to portray how we are destroying ourselves by destroying nature. The picture of the human body lying down among the debris represents how vulnerable we are to our own disregard for ecological balance. The piece conveys a strong message.  The image and its meaning can be daunting, but if we do not do something to protect our environment, truth is, we will end that way.

Holding Upright

Paige Cilluffo, Victor Starr, and Nate Strickler

The succulent tree pictured remains alive because of its ability to hold onto any nutrients it captures and make the best use of the nutrients to last as long as possible. Even with limited nutrients, it remains up right, strong, and colorful. Victor is mimicking the trees stature showing what we can learn from the tree. There may be “dry” times in life, but like the tree, we must hold onto the things that keep us upright. We must make them last as long as possible, knowing that the drought is never too long and something good will come your way.

The Flower Group
Katherine, McKenzie Buckley, kyra Williams, Gillian Sutherland

This flower represents the culture of meeting people. The flower, its petals and leaves are a natural bouquet for connection.  The hand is connect to the body and the body is connected to the ground.  Both, flower and hand meet to bloom and grow in unison.  

Every time you meet a new person, she has different perspectives, cultures, and opinions. Pulling off those layers is part of getting to know someone.  The depth of a group's friendship depends on each members ability to harmoniously be a part of each other, which is what the petals represent.

The Appreciator
Chelsea Deja, Tommy Covelli, Masai Rains

This piece is about embodying the simple pleasures that come out of the taking in the natural beauty that surround us. The student is positioned leaning forward wanting to become engulfed in the art of nature, yet still standing back as to not disrupt its beauty. Her almost imperceptible smile is compares with the light green sprout in front of the bamboo both of which illuminate their darker backgrounds. Her hands are open and her palms are flat as expressing an openness for growth and prosperity, just as the bamboo around her stands. 

The Revival
Kennedi Stephens, Marissa Hanson, Joseph Jackson

There's an ancient story about Apollo, the god of light, and a Nymph named Daphne, who was known for being beautiful but also determined to remain unmarried and untouched by men her entire life. According to the story, in a revenge plot, Apollo was struck by an arrow to make him fall in love with Daphne for eternity and Daphne was struck with an arrow to make her hate Apollo. 

Apollo followed Daphne everywhere, trying to woo her but it did no work. There are many ways to tell the story.  One day Daphne was running through the woods trying to escape Apollo, when she prayed to the river god, asking him to save her and free her from his wrath. 

The river god decided to use metamorphosis to turn her into a tree that way she would remain virtuous. This piece is called "The Revival" because it represents how things would go if Daphne were to be brought back to life.  Thus, the placement of the girl in the tree is deliberate; her being in the center symbolizes her being the heart and giving life to the tree. 

However, she can also be seen as a forbidden fruit stuck in the middle of the tree giving off hints of sensuality and temptation but never to be touched. In turn, this can be seen as Daphne's revenge since sex is what trapped her.  The woman in the image is taking control of her sensuality, using it as a weapon instead of being trapped by it.