Entry gate to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Display Garden. Designed by David Torgoff
Visual and performing arts are important creative activities that help visitors perceive, question, and understand an artist's message. As a unit of a major university, the Gardens is a place where student and faculty artists may present their voice and work for public comment - some of the works are specially commissioned for precise locations. The Gardens profoundly supports this artistic creativity. All works on display have been vetted through faculty review, a select few are on permanent display.
Shadow Pavilion is a temporary experimental installation by U-M Taubman College professor Karl Daubmann in collaboration with John Marshall. The project is an extension from a graduate studio course. It utilizes computer-generated architectural forms inspired by organic models to design site-specific structures that maximize utility while minimizing material and waste. This botanical-inspired structure was designed for this overlook on the Sam Graham Trees Trail. It frames the vista for visitors while providing both shade and a visual destination that orients people to the view point.
- Rotating Art from Steve Nikkila
Be sure to visit Matthaei to see the rotating art display in the Conservatory by photographer Steve Nikkila. Steve’s latest photographs focus on winter scenes: snow-covered spruces neighboring a winter path; children playing in the snow; and a friendly snowman made of blue snow.
The Ann Arbor Garden Club commissioned these entry gates to the Display Gardens at the Gardens in honor of their 75th anniversary. They were created by David Torgoff, an East Lansing artist, and were installed in the fall of 2005. It was the garden club's way of saying thanks to the Gardens where they have met for many of those 75 years.
These bluestone fountains were installed as a memorial to past Gardens Director Erich Steiner (1971-77 and 1989-91). They were designed by John Stevens of K. C. Runciman Landscapes, Saline, MI.
- Jane LaRue Memorial Sundial
This sundial is a memorial to collections botanist Jane LaRue (1971-early 1980s). It was a commission done by Professor Jon Rush of the U-M School of Art. He studied bronze working at foundries in Italy and taught at Columbus College of Art before coming to the University. At the time of the sundial's installation on October 5, 1986 in the old Medicinal Garden, one of his sculptures was on display in Briarwood's concourse near Lord & Taylor. The sundial was moved to its current location when the display gardens area's redesign began in the 1990s.
