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ART IN THE GARDENS 1

Exploration is in our nature We began as wanderers and we are wanderers still Carl Sagan Here you can explore reset and feel free In addition to the natural beauty of our gardens you can discover permanent works of art that inspire and delight as part of a beautiful botanical setting Feel free to follow the map and experience the sculptures in order or just keep this guide handy so when you happen upon a sculpted critter or surprisingly large apple you can read its story Feel free to use the QR codes on the signs to download a digital version of this guide Let the wandering begin 1 Sheaves of Wheat 2 Sharing 3 Close Quarters 4 Blue Sentinel 5 A Roll Through the Junipers 6 Pollinators 7 Celebration Apple

1 Sheaves of Wheat Artist JAC T BOWEN 1966 Front Entrance Monument and Garden Sheaves of Wheat is a 4 000 pound 17 foot high sculpture There are eight major grains with three bundles of wheat as the main focal point It was created specifically for the Board of Trade Building and installed March 25 1966 At the time it was considered the world s largest hand wrought brass relief due to the half mile of brass tubing used during its construction When the Board of Trade closed in 2013 the artwork was donated by Mariner Real Estate Management LLC The sculpture was installed in the fall of 2020 with the completion of the new front entrance monument and garden 2 About the Artist Jac T Bowen was an illustrator sculptor and painter who studied with renowned Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton at the Kansas City Art Institute in the 1940s Bowen also created numerous fiberglass sculptures throughout the Kansas City metro region The Landing Shopping Center on Troost Avenue had 30 animal sculptures created by Bowen In 1971 Bowen was commissioned to replace the famous Plaza Bunnies that were originally made with plaster of Paris in the early 1930s From 1962 to 1988 a covered wagon farmer and oxen were on display at Prairie Village s Corinth Square also made by Bowen In her 2010 book Jac T Bowen A Kansas City Artist author Marybeth Lake wrote that when Bowen was creating he felt he was transported into a world of sheer bliss and inspiration He felt it was the job of the artist to show people how to have beauty in every aspect of their lives Sharing Artist ROBERT ANDERSON About the Artist Metal sculptor Robert C Anderson of Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin specializes in garden kaleidoscopes inflated steel pieces and metal sculptures After working as a maintenance engineer he discovered a passion for working with steel on a large scale 2017 Visitor Center Garden Terrace Inspired by his wife he started designing kaleidoscopes with flowering plants that could be used in a garden The garden kaleidoscope design featured at Powell He s been creating these interactive living sculptures Gardens is an original concept that Anderson since 1997 They can be found all over the United developed after being introduced to kaleidoscopes States as well as Canada and Japan by his wife The garden kaleidoscope is an original concept that incorporates a rotating steel bowl lens and flowers that when in use form beautiful patterns Many of them feature multiple scopes allowing users different perspectives of the same plantings Spin the bowl to change what you see when looking through the eyepiece Sharing is powder coated steel and was installed in 2017 It was generously donated by Dennis and Annette Young 4

3 Close Quarters Artist DAN OSTERMILLER About the Artist Dan Ostermiller is an American sculptor best known for his depictions of animals created in context with their natural surroundings Drawing on inspiration from the barnyard to the vast American Great Plains from the back porch to the Zambezi Valley Ostermiller s animals are studies in elegance and power 1990 Magnolia Walk One of three Ostermiller sculptures at Powell Gardens Close Quarters is a bronze piece depicting the charming vulnerability of lop eared rabbits The artist said it was inspired by the domestic rabbits he s had at his studio I have found that the compositions these rabbits create through their interaction with each other to be quite sculptural Marjorie Powell graciously donated this sculpture because they made me smile They make a lot of our guests smile this is a popular photo op stop So smile and take a picture 4 Born in Cheyenne Wyoming in 1956 Dan Ostermiller grew up surrounded by diverse and intriguing animals from around the globe Dan s years of working studying and traveling throughout the West Africa and other parts of the world contributed to his thorough knowledge of animals which shines through his work in attention to detail and his inspired compositions Since his first show in 1980 Ostermiller has rapidly achieved professional and public recognition The Loveland CO based artist has won numerous awards and honors and has been included in exhibitions and one person shows around the country Blue Sentinel Artist DAN OSTERMILLER About the Artist Dan Ostermiller is an American sculptor best known for his depictions of animals created in context with their natural surroundings Drawing on inspiration from the barnyard to the vast American Great Plains from the back porch to the Zambezi Valley Ostermiller s animals are studies in elegance and power 1992 Marlese Lowe Gourley Island Garden Blue Sentinel a bronze sculpture with black patina is more than five feet tall and was inspired by a Blue Heron rookery near Ostermiller s Colorado studio It s a permanent installation here thanks to a donation by the William T Kemper Foundation Of his time observing animals and birds such as the blue heron Ostermiller says Keen observation is so important to see how the light affects the animals in midday or at night There s something incredible about being in their world It gets pretty humbling more so the more you experience Born in Cheyenne Wyoming in 1956 Dan Ostermiller grew up surrounded by diverse and intriguing animals from around the globe Dan s years of working studying and traveling throughout the West Africa and other parts of the world contributed to his thorough knowledge of animals which shines through his work in attention to detail and his inspired compositions Since his first show in 1980 Ostermiller has rapidly achieved professional and public recognition The Loveland CO based artist has won numerous awards and honors and has been included in exhibitions and one person shows around the country 5

5 A Roll Through the Junipers Artist DAN OSTERMILLER 2006 Perennial Garden When asked about the inspiration for this sculpture Ostermiller said I had no idea that bears react to juniper like a cat reacts to catnip until I witnessed it at the Denver Zoological Gardens I spent more than an hour with this bear as it frolicked among the branches that were tossed into his den This bronze sculpture with brown patina certainly evokes the playful spirit of a bear cub and has a perfect home in the Perennial Garden where it s placed in front of an evergreen tapestry including junipers 6 About the Artist Dan Ostermiller is an American sculptor best known for his depictions of animals created in context with their natural surroundings Drawing on inspiration from the barnyard to the vast American Great Plains from the back porch to the Zambezi Valley Ostermiller s animals are studies in elegance and power Born in Cheyenne Wyoming in 1956 Dan Ostermiller grew up surrounded by diverse and intriguing animals from around the globe Dan s years of working studying and traveling throughout the West Africa and other parts of the world contributed to his thorough knowledge of animals which shines through his work in attention to detail and his inspired compositions Since his first show in 1980 Ostermiller has rapidly achieved professional and public recognition The Loveland CO based artist has won numerous awards and honors and has been included in exhibitions and one person shows around the country Pollinators Artists SALLY GATES MCENTYRE AND TYLER BURNS 2018 Children s Garden About the Artists Sally and Tyler are friends and former high school classmates Sally holds a master s degree in landscape architecture Tyler s professional career is in the medical device industry As a team they pursue creative endeavors in their spare time Kansas City based artists Sally Gates McEntyre and Tyler Burns fabricated and installed this interactive sculpture which is modeled after images of enlarged pollen grains The permanent sculpture is designed to allow visitors the opportunity to experience the world from the perspective of a pollinator a bee a butterfly or a bat This sculpture used cedar wood metal wire and basketry techniques to capture the essence of pollen grains as seen from a microscope The purpose of this art installation is to highlight the importance of pollinators in nature as a vital part of our ecosystem 6

Celebration Apple 7 Artist ERIC TSCHANZ 2009 Heartland Harvest Garden About the Artist Eric Tschanz was the Executive Director at Powell Gardens from 1989 to 2016 Tschanz began his horticultural career in 1969 with a summer job at the Cox Arboretum in Dayton Ohio He completed his BS in horticulture at The Ohio State University and went on to have a long successful career in public gardens In 2017 Tschanz was the recipient of The American Public Gardens Association s Honorary Life Member Award Tschanz was inspired by a large wooden apple with picnic table like seats he saw while visiting England He believed Powell Gardens needed a focal piece for the Apple Courtyard but the wooden sculpture he envisioned was prohibitively expensive Knowing that our maintenance crew had extraordinary fabrication talents Tschanz worked with them designing a piece that they could build The steel ribs were sent out to be bent into the outer apple like shape then welded together The stem is fiberglass and anchored into the ground Tschanz painted the sculpture to keep the look and feel as real as possible Notice that it is botanically correct with five seed carpels which Tschanz felt was a great teaching moment for children Thank you for taking the time to explore ART IN THE GARDENS with us We hope you were inspired by the art and encourage you to walk the rest of the Gardens take more Wander Walks and learn more about our amazing Botanical Garden Interested in becoming a member Visit PowellGardens org member 7

Natural Joy Since 1988 Powell Gardens has been celebrating the beauty of the living world in all its forms 175 acres are open to the public for exploration education and inspiration Visitors enjoy eight themed display gardens a three mile nature trail seasonal festivals rotating exhibitions and exceptional architecture Many of the plants in the Gardens are regionally native and all highlight the changing seasons and Midwest spirit of place As Kansas City s Botanical Garden Powell Gardens plays a vital role in keeping the land s natural cycle alive and thriving and in creating memorable experiences that connect us to each other and to the profoundly simple rhythms of nature 8 1609 NW US Hwy 50 Kingsville MO 64061 816 697 2600