McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach FL is a unique historic garden featuring over 10,000 native and subtropical plants on 17 acres near Florida’s east coast. A lush subtropical oasis embedded in the heart of commercial development, McKee inspires visitors and invites active community participation at variety of events throughout the year. Their attention to keeping the visitor experience fresh is key to this botanical garden’s success.
In January 2020 I was a volunteer on the installation team for Stickworks, an ecoart sculpture by internationally renowned artist Patrick Dougherty. The objective of this creative work was to evoke joy and delight as visitors experienced the sculpture within the garden. Being part of the installation process was as inspiring as experiencing the completed work.
A creative and meaningful way to engage the public is through participatory ecoart installations guided by artists and constructed by volunteers. As they co-create meaningful ‘earthcare’ works of art, participants become an integral part of the process and success of the work. The opportunity to participate actively helps garner support and a sense of ownership over the creative space. Stickworks was installed over a 3 week period, and was a delightful surprise to visitors during its two year residence in the Royal Palm grove. More information about Patrick Dougherty’s work can be found at www.stickwork.net.
Subsequent to that volunteer experience, I was retained as a consultant to help design improvements to 3 subgardens featuring native subtropical plants including a growing collecting of rare and endangered orchids and ephiphytes. During the creative brainstorming process, my friend and colleague internationally renowned ecoartist Xavier Cortada (www.cortada.com) was invited to join our team and was commissioned to create permanent sculptures that will inspire visitors to learn more about endangered native subtropical orchids.
Public engagement projects that are informed by creative action inspire community involvement, engagement and stewardship for our natural resources.
All photos by Meg Whitmer
Stickworks detail
Artist Patrick Dougherty
Stickworks crew
Stickworks arch
Finished ecoart sculpture
Stickworks