Nature through a New Lens:
Art in the Woods at Arbor Day Farm

Now open at Arbor Day Farm: Art in the Woods, an outdoor showcase of sculptures and art along the forest trails at Arbor Day Farm, Nebraska City.

Submissions were received from 35 artists spanning eight U.S. states and Canada, with media that ranged from stained glass and steel to willow branches and ceramics.

The exhibit is open daily with sculptures remaining in place through Fall 2012.

Selections for Art in the Woods are:

Doug Hoevet of Gering, NE. – Is it a forest? Or is it a family? It depends on your perspective. The visual experience of Hoevet’s The Family Bond, a collection of 10 steel sculptures arranged in a natural setting, will leave you questioning the real from the abstract. (Shown at right.)

Brian Hamilton of Omaha, NE. – In the natural world, burls on a tree are indications of stress or deformity. But in Burl: Arbor Apparatus, Hamilton explores the symbiotic relationship between these bulbous protrusions and the natural organisms they serve.

Wayne State College Department of Art and Design Visual Arts Club with Steve Elliott, Sponsor; Wayne, NE – Remember those “helicopter” maple seeds that spin and dance as they float to the ground? In Seeds in the Round: Intersection of Nature and Viability, you will enjoy a larger-than-life perspective on these familiar and elegant forms. This piece is the only Art in the Woods installation that is created by a team of collaborating artists.

Leslie Bruning of Omaha, NE. Entitled Quiet Presence, Bruning’s canoe sculptures recall the quiet footprint of the Native American inhabitants on our region, from hunting the native plains and fishing in the streams and also their disappearance from these woods. This is the second time Bruning’s work has been selected for display at Arbor Day Farm; his 50 Birds and One Squirrel creation was installed at the Tree Adventure in 2009.

Erika Nelson of Lucas, KS – Animal forms covered in colored stone and sand come together to create unique textures, patterns, and petroglyphs reflecting the Native Fauna once found in Southeast Nebraska. Each surface design is derived from the Caddoan, Otoe, and Kiowa tribes of Native Americans.

Jeff Harms of Chicago, IL – Step inside this wooden walk-in sculpture entitled Ganzfeld 2 and you’ll sense a feeling of expansiveness even within the defined space. More than 4,000 feet of pine lath radiate from two points, curving around your field of vision as though the trees themselves are bending down to say hello.

Art in the Woods is an outdoor art exhibit opening at Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure in June 2012, where guests and visitors are encouraged to explore and enjoy the pieces placed along the woodland trails. This exhibit is funded by the Karl H. and Wealtha H. Nelson Family Foundation, Nebraska City.

The goals of the Art in the Woods exhibition are to:

• Create an educational and entertaining opportunity for visitors to experience the natural world through all five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

• Help visitors connect these natural works of art with the natural setting of the Tree Adventure.

• Inspire visitors of all ages, from all walks of life, and from around the globe to make deeper personal connections with trees and the natural world.

Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure is open daily; access to Art in the Woods is included with regular admission. For inquiries, please call (402) 873-8717.