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June Issue 2003
Pickens County Museum of Art & History in Pickens, SC, Features Exhibition Focused on Native Plants
The Pickens County Cultural Commission invites one and all to a very special exhibition at the Pickens County Museum of Art & History in Pickens, SC. The exhibition entitled, Native Plants of Upcountry Carolina: In Art, In Folklore and In Life, will be on display from June 7 through July 26, 2003.
Filling both upstairs galleries the exhibition will focus on the indigenous plants of the region as an inspiration to multiple interests that dwell within each of us. Everyday we overlook shrubs, trees, wildflowers and other plants without thought. Some of us take no notice of them and others see them as weeds. But most take for granted that these wonderful works of nature are a source of food, medicine, tools, building materials and inspirational beauty. This exhibition is for all of us.
For lovers of art, a large selection of paintings, prints, photographs and sculpture representing our local community of flora will be on display. Artists included in this collection are Libby Carew, Griz Hockwalt, Gale McKinley, Walter Shockley and Harrell Whittington.
Not only can plants be the subject matter of a work of art, but they also can be a material for creating a work of art. Fiber artist, Connie Lippert, will exhibit a display on the use of native plants as a material source for the dyes with which she colors the wool used in her weavings.
Once this part of the Carolina Upcountry was the home of the proud Cherokee people to whom the plants were an integral part of life; a part of being one with the Earth. One of the greatest uses of our varied vegetations, not only by the Cherokee, but also by other Native Americans, as well as settlers and pioneers to the region, was in ceremonial and physical medicine. Throughout this exhibition, items on display will be accompanied by information on the Native uses and herbology along with many Southern folk remedies utilizing that plant.
Another way that we know plants have played a key role in our history comes not from the fossilized remains of prehistoric foliage, which are included in this exhibit, but more from the lore that developed over the centuries. The myths, folktales, superstitions and legends as relating to many of the plants native to the Upcountry Carolinas are similar tales to similar plants from all over the world. Cherokee folklore is shared side by side with the Greek and Roman mythology, beliefs of the ancient Celts, European folk customs, Asian fables and Christian symbolisms.
And while the presentations of folklore, of art, of science and herbology all seek to preserve the beauty and mystery of plants that have lived in all our pasts, a very important aspect of this ambitious exhibition is to experience the natural wonder in our present lives, and preserve it for the future. The Pickens County Museum is delighted that the conservation and preservation aspect of our endeavor will be well represented through presentations on the work from Earth Design, Inc. and from the South Carolina Native Plant Society.
Earth Design, Inc., a Landscape Architectural/Environmental design firm home-based just across the street from the Pickens County Museum, has grown to become one of the leading design firms in the upstate, specializing in cost effective, environmentally responsible design solutions. For this exhibition, Earth Design is sharing with the viewer their unique approach to landscape design utilizing the native species of the region. Included will be examples of past projects, from the planning through the physical work and to the finished environment with photographs, text and drawings showing how an area can be beautiful, be preserved for the future and still serve as a vital and functioning commercial or residential landscape or a restored native habitat.
The South Carolina Native Plant Society has graciously agreed to assist with this exhibition through the presentation of "living plants" as well as through information on their organization and its many endeavors. Thanks to the resources from this able and admirable group of individuals, displays of living examples of regional environments will share with the viewer the look and even smell of a Mixed Woodland Garden, a Fern Garden, a Prairie Garden, a Bog Garden and even a Water Garden. As an added treat, visitors will have the opportunity to take one or more of these micro-environments in their own home or business, as throughout the exhibition, silent bids will be accepted on each garden, with the final auction proceeds split to benefit both the South Carolina Native Plant Society and the Pickens County Museum.
From Blood Root to Blackberry and Joe-Pye to Jessamine, with Trillium, Ferns and Rhododendron, this exhibition will appeal to every viewer in one way or another... lovers of art, of nature, of literature, of science, of folklore and of the future will all find some satisfaction in Native Plants of Upcountry Carolina: In Art, In Folklore and In Life.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Museum at 864/898-5963 or e-mail at (picmus@co.pickens.sc.us).
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