Grow a Garden

Our exhibition “Grow a Garden” contemplates our unique pasts and perspectives in the care and coexistence of plants, so that we can re-imagine a future with a celebration of nature.

Over the course of several months, I curated and organized an interdisciplinary exhibition on nature with a group of artists, taking place at the Frame Gallery on November 2021. I drew from research in biophilic design, as well as our unique perspectives on plants, to create an interactive exhibition that emphasizes mindfulness and nature, not only through artwork alone, but also with its atmosphere and environment. I was interested in the interaction between human, nature, and space.

Team
10 artists

My Role
I was the creative director and curator for the exhibition, leading the vision and execution for the event. I was the researcher, artist, and designer, as well as the point person for public relations and communications.

As life becomes more digitized, we turn to plants for reflection and care — gardening, planting seeds, and repotting to trace our own growth and well-being.

“Grow a Garden'' explores our coexistence and reliance on plants, mushrooms, and bugs. Research shows that plants are healing for our mental and emotional health, serving as more than aesthetic objects and sometimes becoming our silent companions and friends. The care of a living being that “talks back to us” through slow-paced, non-verbal gestures — drooping its leaves or leaning towards sunlight — reminds us to slow down and really take the time to listen. Plants teach us to communicate with others through non-verbal acts of love, demonstrating our care by simply watching and witnessing another’s progress. Bugs who exploit plants for food and housing eventually decompose and give way to mushrooms, bolstering plant health and strength. Could we find a permanent place in this symbiotic cycle?

Our exhibition was featured in “The Garden” newsletter here!

Research

People love plants! We already know that. But I wanted to look deeper into why we like plants, and how our interactions with plants result in better mindfulness & health. I looked at research on the impacts of nature on human cognitive function & mental health. Although we spend the majority of our lives in buildings, the mere presence of nature and even representations of nature enhance our lives in many ways:

Taking a step further, I was curious how the benefits of plants can be applied to our space and art. I looked at examples of

biophilic design — an interconnected & integrated architecture that encourages a repeated & sustained interaction with nature.

In partnership with Angela Lusk from The Mindfulness Room at Carnegie Mellon, we transformed our empty gallery space into an integrated biophilic environment.

Social Media

I designed a series of physical and digital posters & flyers to advertise our upcoming exhibition.

Exhibition

Our “Grow a Garden” exhibition was a one-of-a-kind event, with over 50 guests in just the first 30 minutes that we opened! We had a bug-antennae craft station, a plant raffle, plenty of interactive work, free prints and comics, cushions and lounging spaces, as well as dirt cups and refreshments!  I couldn’t have asked for a better night
of art and celebration!

Thank You

A special thank you to my advisor Dr. Crista Crittenden for her support throughout the whole process from ideation to conception of the exhibition and her advice on biophilic design

A special thank you to Angela Lusk, director of the Mindfulness Room, for her expertise on mindfulness, mental health, and biophilic design, and the contribution of supplies

This project was supported in part by funding from the Carnegie Mellon University Frank-Ratchye Fund For Art @ the Frontier.