I'm currently in Michigan visiting my Uncle Mike and Aunt Esther, and today they took us to see Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. I expected some pretty-ish botanical gardens, but this place was AMAZING, far surpassing my expectations. It is so amazing, in fact, that I decided I want to work there, but it turns out they're currently not hiring. Talk about raining on my parade.
The gardens are lovely, the children's area is a wondrous creation of imagination-capturing waterworks and installations, and we only made our way through about half of all the available areas around grounds. There is more to see - I have to go back!
They have temporary sculptures and permanent ones, sculptures which are in touch with history and up-to-date with modern, abstract trends. Inside, there are greenhouses and topiaries, with bright tropical birds and Victorian marble cherubs.
One of Esther's nephews got married in one of the greenhouses a couple weeks back. I'm glad he didn't get married in the Arid Room, full of cacti, succulent plants, rocks, and sand - the symbolism is all wrong. I want to get married in this place (not the Arid Room, of course, but some other room - maybe the Victorian room, although maybe that's a little corny, with the cherubs and all). First, I'll probably have to find someone who's willing to be the groom.
At the end of our visit, we checked out this really cool exhibit by Laura Ford, a Welsh sculptor who has a seriously large oeuvre and who's been exhibited all around the world. The pieces on display at Meijer Gardens definitely showcased her social conscience, crying out against poverty and violence. There were also some pretty funny pieces as well. Indeed, the brochure byline declares her art to be chock-full of "Humor and irony. Wit and poignancy. Personal experience and social conditions." I think the byline also suits the whole of Meijer Gardens just perfectly. The cast-bronze piece below is entitled "Rag and Bone."
All in all, it was pretty cool stuff. If you ever find yourself in Grand Rapids, it's a must-see. Don't miss it!
As a note, I am camera-less at the moment, so all the photos in this entry came from Wikimedia Commons.
The gardens are lovely, the children's area is a wondrous creation of imagination-capturing waterworks and installations, and we only made our way through about half of all the available areas around grounds. There is more to see - I have to go back!
They have temporary sculptures and permanent ones, sculptures which are in touch with history and up-to-date with modern, abstract trends. Inside, there are greenhouses and topiaries, with bright tropical birds and Victorian marble cherubs.
One of Esther's nephews got married in one of the greenhouses a couple weeks back. I'm glad he didn't get married in the Arid Room, full of cacti, succulent plants, rocks, and sand - the symbolism is all wrong. I want to get married in this place (not the Arid Room, of course, but some other room - maybe the Victorian room, although maybe that's a little corny, with the cherubs and all). First, I'll probably have to find someone who's willing to be the groom.
At the end of our visit, we checked out this really cool exhibit by Laura Ford, a Welsh sculptor who has a seriously large oeuvre and who's been exhibited all around the world. The pieces on display at Meijer Gardens definitely showcased her social conscience, crying out against poverty and violence. There were also some pretty funny pieces as well. Indeed, the brochure byline declares her art to be chock-full of "Humor and irony. Wit and poignancy. Personal experience and social conditions." I think the byline also suits the whole of Meijer Gardens just perfectly. The cast-bronze piece below is entitled "Rag and Bone."
All in all, it was pretty cool stuff. If you ever find yourself in Grand Rapids, it's a must-see. Don't miss it!
As a note, I am camera-less at the moment, so all the photos in this entry came from Wikimedia Commons.
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