Bloedel Reserve: “America’s Most Fascinating Public Garden” Celebrates 25 Years with Exclusive Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit This Fall
Bainbridge Island, Washington (PRWEB) July 11, 2013 -- Greater Seattle’s 150-acre public garden, The Bloedel Reserve, today announced the unveiling of its first-ever outdoor sculpture exhibit in honor of its 25 Year Anniversary, featuring all new work by renowned Northwest sculpture artist, Julie Speidel. Consistently ranked as one of the top 10 gardens in the country (USA Today, Fine Gardening, Journal of Japanese Gardening, Horticulture Magazine), the highly-unique The Bloedel Reserve is located a short ferry ride away from downtown Seattle on peaceful Bainbridge Island. The one-of-a-kind, special exhibition in partnership with Speidel features 12 unique pieces that highlight specific areas of the garden space and will be installed throughout the grounds in key areas including its noted Moss Garden, Japanese Garden, and on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound. The exhibition is entitled, “An Experience: Sculpture in the Landscape,” and will run August 30-October 13, 2013.
Guided by founder Prentice Bloedel’s vision that art should enhance the landscape, not detract from nature, Speidel created art to blend harmoniously with the Reserve’s natural beauty and to draw the eye towards often overlooked areas of the grounds. She drew inspiration from the glacial erratic rocks found throughout the Pacific Northwest region.
“It looks like a glacier left it,” Speidel said about her multifaceted burnt umber sculpture that will grace the Reserve’s Moss Garden. “The whole concept has been for the sculptures to stop visitors at a certain place, and draw them in.”
“Speidel’s sensitivity to the Reserve’s principles made her an excellent partner, as this exhibit is the first of its kind to be held on the Reserve’s property,” Ed Moydell, The Bloedel Reserve’s executive director commented. “When Mr. Bloedel originally conceived the gardens, he was thinking of them as overall landscape compositions. He hopes the exhibit will give visitors an enhanced, multidimensional experience, and Julie has created these sculptures with the Reserve specifically in mind. Art lovers will experience nature, and nature lovers will experience art.”
All 12 of Speidel’s sculptures will be available for sale through The Bloedel Reserve’s two partners galleries: Gail Severn and Winston/Wachter.
For Calendar Editors:
WHAT:
"An Experience: Sculpture in the Landscape Exhibition"
Be inspired and refreshed by The Bloedel Reserve's first-ever outdoor sculpture exhibition featuring 12 site-specific pieces created by noted Northwest artist Julie Speidel. The series of gardens in the woods at this 150 acre public garden on Bainbridge Island, WA will be adorned with glacial rock-inspired sculptures designed to punctuate well loved vistas and draw the viewer's eye to often overlooked areas of the gardens. Regular admission to the Reserve includes entrance to the 6-week exhibition.
WHERE:
The Bloedel Reserve
7571 NE Dolphin Drive,
Bainbridge Island WA 98110
WHEN:
August 30- October 13
Hours: 10am - 4pm
Days: Tues – Sun
TICKETS:
FREE-$13
Adults - $13
Seniors (65+) - $9
Military - $9
Students - $5
12 and under – free
Phone: 206-842-7631
No advance tickets
Exhibition is included with regular admission
About The Bloedel Reserve:
A non-profit organization, The Bloedel Reserve is an internationally renowned public garden whose primary mission is to provide a tranquil and refreshing experience of nature. Located on Bainbridge Island, Washington, the Reserve’s 150 acres are a unique blend of natural woodlands and beautifully landscaped gardens, including a Japanese Garden, a Moss Garden, and Reflection Pool, and the Bloedel’s former French Country Chateau-style estate. “More than any other public garden, The Bloedel Reserve is keenly aware of its sense of place, it is the essence of the Pacific Northwest,” said executive director Ed Moydell. The Bloedel Reserve is open to the public year-round Tuesdays-Sundays.
The Bloedel Reserve’s 25th Anniversary Exhibit “An Experience: Sculpture in the Landscape Exhibition” is sponsored in-part by Kitsap Bank.
Michelle Sanders, The Bloedel Reserve, http://www.bloedelreserve.org, +1 206-595-1151, [email protected]
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