Major Outdoor Exhibition

Bruce Munro
Forest and Field of Light 
2021

British artist Bruce Munro, is best known for immersive large-scale light-based installations inspired largely by his interest in shared human experience. Forest and Field of Light was a stunning display of 60,000 stemmed spheres, gently illuminating the Lower Garden (Forest of Light) and surrounding Swan Lake (Field of Light) in subtle blooms of undulating, morphing color.  This mesmerizing exhibition, lit by solar-powered fiber optics, beautifully showcased the intersection of art, technology and nature. 

Thomas Dambo
Berta, Terje and the Banyan Tree (Trolls)
2019

Thomas Dambo, a Danish Recycling Artist, is well know for his whimsical wooden troll sculptures, crafted from hundreds of discarded wooden pallets, broken branches and fallen trees.  Inspired by Pinecrest Garden’s’ signature Banyan, Dambo’s installation named Berta, Terje and the Banyan Tree, were a brother and sister pair of trolls on a mission to take on the ills of the world and help out a wise old banyan tree.  Like his other installations, the placement of the trolls is purposeful. He hides them within the natural environment, hoping to draw people away from the hustle and bustle of cities, into the quiet tranquility of nature.

Xavier Cortada
Elevation Drive
2018-19

Originally named Underwater HOA, Elevation Drive began in 2018 as a participatory public art project by acclaimed environmental artist, Xavier Cortada. The endgame of this installation was to generate awareness of rising sea levels, and engage Floridians to take action against climate change. Cortada recruited art students from four local high schools to help him paint “Elevation Drive,” underwater markers at four major intersections along a 2.5-mile stretch of Killian Drive (the Village of Pinecrest’s main thoroughfare). These painted intersections, coupled with underwater markers (law signs depicting the property’s elevation) placed in residents’ front yards throughout the Village), made the issue of climate change impossible to ignore for the residents of Pinecrest. 

Amanda Parker
Intrude (Big Bunny Invasion)
2018

In artist Amanda Parker’s native Australia, rabbits are an out-of-control pest causing great imbalance to the country’s endemic species. Conversely, the rabbit also represents fairytale animals from our childhood—furry innocence, frolicking through idyllic fields. Intrude (which was renamed The Big Bunny Invasion at Pinecrest Gardens), evoked this Alice in Wonderland imagery for children, while hopefully revealing the more serious environmental messages to adults. Designed as a day and night installation, these 15 to 20 foot billowing bunnies attract children to engage interactively during the day climbing in and around the art, and turn into glowing creatures at night dwarfing everything and everyone around them.

Patrick Dougherty
In The Thick Of It (Stickwork)
2017

Patrick Dougherty, is a sculptor who weaves tree saplings into site specific sculptural installations.   In November of 2017, following hurricane IRMA, Dougherty was able to breathe new life into the hurricane devastated Gardens with 30-thousand pounds of willow tree saplings he trucked in from North Carolina. In a mere three week period, In the Thick Of It was completed with the help of 100 volunteers, who joined Dougherty, twisting and turning saplings into whimsical, whirling shapes.

Santiago Medina
Interactive Steel
2016

Colombian-American, doctor turned artist, creates abstract stainless steel sculptures that he creates in his studio located in Italy. His exhibit, “Interactive Steel” featured eight, highly polished mirror-finish stainless steel sculptures that appeared to morph in shape and color, transition from day to night. During the day, there is a stunning juxtaposition of cold steel against a tropical backdrop that creates timeless masterpieces filled with light and movement. At night, color LED lights bring shades of red and blue to the sculptures adding another dimension to their beauty. “Peace,” “Eternity,” “Energy” and “Inspiration” are among the names of the sculptures that were presented, emphasizing Santiago Medina’s artistic message of hope and positive energy that his powerful art emphasizes.

Lugofelo
Torso
2015

Lugofelo is a Venezuelan artist currently living in Miami.  Torso is the result of 3 years of study of anatomy and abstract forms which make up the human body. There are six sculptures in this series, paying tribute to Native Americans. Lugofelo believed that Pinecrest Gardens was the perfect location to create the imagery required to bring the juxtaposition between man and nature together. To Lugofelo, Torso symbolizes courage, wisdom, and strength.

Philip Haas
The Four Seasons
2014

The Four Seasons, by American artist and filmmaker Philip Haas, is a series of large-scale fiberglass sculptures inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s four 1563 Italian Renaissance paintings: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.  Haas’s twenty-first-century interpretation translates the historic paintings into a three-dimensional form and connects us to nature’s annual cycle of death and renewal. Each bust showcases a medley of vegetation associated with a specific time of year.  The result is at once earthy, fanciful and exuberant—a commentary on Arcimboldo's style and a work of art in its own right.