
Descanso Gardens is known for its sea of flowers, plants, and botanical gardens. It’s truly a place of wonder that can be enjoyed year-round. Now they’re combining natural beauty and colorful art installations with their “Your (Un)Natural Garden” exhibition.
“I do not want to tell visitors what they should do or experience in the exhibition. It’s for the visitor to decide,” says Adam Schwerner the artist behind this new art experience. “It will make me most happy when guests have their own unique reactions to the work. Visitors will see what they did not expect, and I hope that this will surprise them and that it will be energizing for them.”
What is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. All of the pieces in Schwerner’s exhibition are materials with a past and he incorporates them in a totally imaginative way.
“I like to use material that has a history. For this exhibition, I have sourced the majority of the material from a recycling company called Tierra Verde Industries in Irvine. They have been remarkable and I am thankful for them. It accepts a wide variety of debris and we have used scrap wood, electrical wire, aluminum ladders, kitchenware, tables, chairs, bicycles, computer parts, and more, sourced there,” shared Schwerner in an interview with Descanso Gardens. “I like finding objects that have a history; that have had a life and show the scars of the use they have had.”
The colorful Archways were created with these exact found materials, and will lead guests to the main art gallery and house. Installations can be found at the Sturt Haaga Gallery, Boddy House, and throughout the gardens landscape. This isn’t your typical art exhibit though. Each piece invites visitors to use all their senses, and yes, you are welcome to touch!
“During the years of planning for this exhibition, I have been aiming to create a series of interventions that encourage visitors to touch/walk through/sit on/move around/play with the various elements of the exhibition.” said Schwerner.
Once the main gallery house is reached, guests will go through dreamy rooms that will spark the imagination–from hundreds of bells playing to feather boas hanging from the ceiling.
Descanso Gardens is open from Monday–Friday: 9A.M.–7P.M. and Saturday–Sunday: 9A.M.–5P.M. “Your (Un)Natural Garden is open Monday–Friday: 10A.M.–6P.M., and Saturday–Sunday: 10A.M.–4P.M. in the Sturt Haaga Gallery and Boddy House. Admission to Descanso Gardens includes entry to “Your (Un)natural Garden,” no reservations required.
Get admission details here.