Steve Tobin at the Naples Botanical Gardens

Art in nature

I travel for art. (It should be a bumper sticker.)  Sure, these days my journeys only take me an hour or two from home. But still there's a lot to be seen and enjoyed. And sometimes I find that what I set out to see isn't the highlight after all. 

Take, for instance, my recent visit to the Naples Botanical Gardens. When I corralled Deb and Libbie to go with me, I clearly didn't explain my mission very well. "Look," the nature lovers exclaimed when we arrived. "There's art!"  Well, duh. Did they think I was going to drive 100 miles just to see a bunch of flowers?  

The exhibit that piqued my interest was "Steve Tobin: Nature Underground." His "Roots" series is a natural choice for a botanical garden. As the placard explained, "This season [the Gardens] celebrate the complex world beneath our feet and seek to inspire a new appreciation for the unnoticed, yet vital, parts of our ecosystem....Because [roots] are almost always out of sight, it's easy to forget just how important they are." It seems like there's a metaphor there. (Visualize a lightbulb going off over my head.) 

Libbie and Deb with "Steelroot" (2011)

I appreciate the concept, but the works themselves didn't really grab me.  Nonetheless, it's pretty cool that the monumental bronze works in the series are cast from actual root systems. Tobin has been at this work for a while. His "Trinity Church" -- not on display here -- was created from the stump and root system of a sycamore tree that shielded St. Paul's Chapel in New York during the 9/11 attacks.  The sculpture -- and the entire series -- is a symbol of hidden strength. (For an image and a story about a lawsuit involving that work, click here.) 

I also like the fact that visitors can interact with the works. Sculptures like "Steelroot" beg to be run around and climbed upon by children and adults alike. And that's the way Tobin wants it. 

Tobin Bronze Shoes

Tobin has said he likes to exhibit in places where people aren't going specifically to see art. His work has been shown in unexpected venues like caves and chapels and even the La Brea Tar Pits. He believes coming upon art in an unexpected context allows people to encounter the works "without the preconceived defenses people have against art." He wants people to ask, "What is it?" and go from there. 

While I wasn't enamored of Tobin's "Roots" series, I fell in love with his whimsical shoes on display in the gift shop. As one press release about the series explained, "The artist's cast bronze shoes reflect the artist's interesting in combining man and nature. Each shoe on the rack is filled with nuts, cookies and even a pastrami sandwich... The artist's message of 'you are what you eat' rings loud and clear." But with a $3K price tag per heel, none of those shoes were walking out of the shop with me. For more images of his footwear, click here. I laughed out loud when I saw the one with the hot dog.  

While I might not have hopped in my car and driven 100 miles in the absence of an art exhibit, the Naples Botanical Gardens are pretty fabulous. The Gardens' mission is "to develop and conserve collections and habitats representative of the flora and cultures between the 26th latitudes." And with 170 acres, there's a lot of room to dedicate to the different global environments. 

There's a Brazilian garden (think banana trees!) and a Caribbean garden and, of course, a Florida garden. There's a water garden filled with lily pads worthy of Monet. There's an orchid garden and a bird watching "tower" (using the term quite loosely). And then there was the Asian Garden where I stumbled upon an unexpected visitor seeking some sun and fun after a cold inauguration day. (Thanks to Libbie for the hilarious meme!) 

"Nature Underground" exhibit runs at the Gardens through September 6. For more information about artist Steve Tobin, click here. And for info about the Naples Botanical Gardens, click here.