ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN
March 3 – August 27, 2023
“This exhibit is a perfect fit for Huntsville Botanical Garden. Paper is made from plants, origami is made from paper, and the origami sculptures that will be displayed in the Garden reflect elements of the natural world. It’s a beautiful melding of subject and setting.”
HBG Chief Executive Officer Sue Wagner
A new Garden exhibit is unfolding: ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN, created by Santa Fe artists Jennifer and Kevin Box in collaboration with world-renowned origami artists. Inspired by the art of folding paper to make elegant objects, ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN transforms simple concepts into large-scale metal sculptures that will find their place among our own plant collections to delight, awe, and inspire.
Sculptures in the exhibit include colossal butterflies, ponies, birds, and more. The highlight of the show will be “Master Peace,” a 25-foot-tall sculpture of hundreds of origami peace cranes towering over the Aquatic Garden.
ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN is included with regular admission to the Garden. To create a more complete experience, a free audio tour is available for guests to dial into and hear the interpretation for each piece directly from the artist.
About the Exhibit
ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN, created by Santa Fe artists Jennifer and Kevin Box, is a monumental outdoor sculpture exhibition. Box takes origami to another level, transforming paper into museum-quality metal sculpture through processes he has pioneered in teamwork with foundries, fabrication shops, and his studio staff. The exhibit features Box’s own compositions as well as collaborations with world-renowned origami artists Te Jui Fu, Beth Johnson, Michael G. LaFosse, and Robert J. Lang. These remarkable artworks feel at home in the wondrous setting of botanical gardens, since paper originates in plant life and origami is made of paper.
“Origami presents a simple metaphor: When we begin with a blank page, what we do with it is up to us and the possibilities are endless.” —Kevin Box
About the Artists
Jennifer and Kevin Box created ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN in 2013. The first exhibition opened at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden in 2014, and the exhibition has been experienced by over 2 million visitors in gardens and museums throughout the United States ever since.
Kevin Box graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In 2004, he was the youngest member elected to the National Sculptors’ Guild, and Southwest Art Magazine recognized Kevin as one of the top 21 artists under 31. Over the years, he has perfected his unique approach and applied it to complex design collaborations with world-renowned origami masters.
Jennifer Box received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New York University in Dance Education and Nonprofit Administration. During her years as a dancer in New York City, she performed, choreographed, and directed multiple performing arts shows. Today Jennifer translates such experiences to co-direct with Kevin in the production of this traveling ‘fine arts show.’
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