The sculpture garden just got a little bit cooler with the addition of our new nest! El nido has been a work in progress over the past few weeks and it was just recently finished. Javier and Julietta of Arte con Madera del Desierto worked their magic weaving palo de arco into this amazing structure. We’ll be adding a table and benches to complete the shaded picnic area soon.
Come visit El Nido in person!
El Nido in progress…
It’s still a work in progress but we are adding a shade area to the sculpture garden that will be our picnic area, its a dome shape with two arched doorways and it will be woven with locally sourced palo de arco sticks that will give it a nest like structure.
Right now, the workers are designing the skeletal structure of the form with rebar and anchoring it to the ground with concrete footings, the steel is coated in a mesh and tinted concrete skin to protect it and help it blend into the natural wood. Next the wood will be woven and braided into the structure.
Here’s a few images of the the mock-ups and work in progress of El Nido…
We had to remove The Swarm installation over the summer because it’s original placement was in the arroyo and we didn’t want it to get washed away in a storm. But now that we’ve got the sculpture trail all cleaned up again, we re-installed it in a slightly new location.
This piece is a perpetual work-in-progress as new insects will be added over time allowing for the swarm to continue to grow. It is inspired by the shapes and varieties of the very strange insects we have in our desert ecosystem including our prolific honeybees that swarm from location to location. Amazingly, a swarm of actual honey bees flew over us during the installation – wish we had gotten some video of that too!
Need something unique?
These Trinket Necklaces with ceramic and steel hand made, mini-sculptures on leather cord with copper elements are the perfect gift!
These are the last four pieces in this series! Each necklace comes with its own mounting board, so when you’re not wearing it, your wearable sculpture will still be on display.
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*these will ship from California to anywhere in the US
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This fun and creative project, Proyecto de Calaveras actually has a serious goal, to raise money to support our local rancheros who were losing dozens of livestock due to severe drought conditions.
My cow skull is designed with turquoise ceramic horns and is crawling with colorful ceramic dermestid beetles, an homage to the beauty of the cycle of life. He does need a name if anyone wants to come up with some creative suggestions!?
There is a Go Fund Me set up if you’d like to donate directly (note donation amounts are in pesos not dollars) or come down to Galeria Mangos in Todos Santos June 14-21, 11am-4pm to bid on a skull decorated by a local artist.
Just in case you missed it!
Please check out these talented artists that participated in our first group exhibition Sticks + Stones | Palos + Piedras!
I’m so sad to see this show go, I have loved having every single one of their works in my studio and sculpture garden. Learn more about each artist and their work through the Artists Sharing Artists series.
You can follow them on social media to keep in touch with their creative endeavors! Enjoy and be sure to come see our next exhibit coming this fall!
Sticks + Stones | Palos + Piedras Artists: Christa Assad, Steven Jacobi, Abel Martinez Gonzales, Kevin Wickham, Jenni Ward, Natalia Szalc, Ulises Martinez, Paolo Melandri + Rudy Mendoza.
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Coastal Rail Trail’s latest segment opens
SANTA CRUZ >> Community members, local leaders and hundreds of Bay View Elementary students packed into La Barranca Park on Bay Street in Santa Cruz Wednesday morning for the official opening ceremony for the Segment 7, Phase II portion of the Coastal Rail Trail. People walk through Santa Cruz artist Jenni Ward’s “Feast of Flowers” as they arrive at Wednesday’s ceremony. Read more…
photo credit: Crystal Birns
Want a virtual tour of the new section?
Led by participating artist Natalia Szalc, the women of the Fungi Nipple Collective brought their orange glow to our slice of desert last Sunday. Complete with dance, soundscapes, poems, films and food and drinks all of which celebrated the connection of women and mycelium. The Fungi Nipple installation is comprised of hundreds of handmade clay forms that seem to be sprouting up in the arroyo. Here’s a few scenes from this pop-up event…
About the project: What do mushrooms and women have in common? They both play a significant role in the creation of life on Earth: populating, nourishing, cultivating, and communicating. Similar to the mycelium network, women serve as facilitators of communication and builders of connections. They pass down valuable knowledge through generations and share supportive information that uplifts one another. The Fungi Nipple ceramic installation is a collaborative effort between myself and a group of women who create these pieces together to form a swarm of Fungi Nipples. The number of pieces reflects the vital role that women play in our world as creators of life and growth. A woman embodies Mother Nature herself, with a sacred connection to the earth and clay. By honoring and respecting the womb, we honor and respect the feminine – embracing the deep, mysterious realms of inner wisdom, feminine power, intuition, and living in harmony with the cycles of birth, growth, decay, death. and rebirth. This installation aims to recognize women as the creators of life and their profound connection to Mother Nature. What better way to establish this connection than through a simple acknowledgment? Acknowledgment can serve as a potent tool for building trust, shifting attitudes, and fostering collaboration. This installation is designed to spark conversations about the power and practice of acknowledgment, aligning ourselves with the essence of Mother Nature. – Natalia Szalc
photo credits: Fungi Nipple Collective members
I can’t believe that I’m actually able to write the title to this blog post but it’s finally true. A Feast of Flowers has officially been installed on the newest section of the Coastal Rail Trail at the corner of California & Bay Streets on the westside of Santa Cruz. Here’s a few process pics of the installation…
Once landscaping is complete we’ll get some better shots of the installations but until then, enjoy this photo that was a long time coming.
If you want to read about the whole journey of making these pieces, click here!
About the project: A Feast of Flowers will be six ceramic and steel sculptures inspired by the umbel flower structure of fennel plants. Placed staggered along the sides of the trail and silhouetted against the sky, the installation will create a sense of whimsy and wonder for the thousands of patrons who use the trail as well as bring an awareness to our connection with nature.
My inspiration for this particular installation comes from my exploration of the natural world, and my curiosity about identifying plants, especially the edible ones. As an amateur forager, every hike in the woods has become like a trip to the grocery store for me. Fennels are one of the most recognized edibles that grow in California, available for the taking, yet there is a tendency to not trust the wild plants. This disconnect we humans have with nature, the loss of knowledge about native plants and how that relates to the global issue of food insecurity are all concepts explored with this project.
It is also my hope that whimsical oversized flowers will create a fun and dramatic impact for the area, will draw locals and tourists alike outside to connect with nature, learn about local plants and of course take a moment to stop and smell the flowers.
This project is sponsored by:
