Arts and Entertainment

Courtesy Photo / Michelle Oka Doner

U-M graduate to show 55-square-foot bronze candelabra

By Josh Brunsting GVL Staff Writer
1/27/2010

One of the nation's most versatile artists is the subject of an exclusive exhibition at Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids.

A nationally-renowned sculpture and botanic experience in and of itself, the exhibit will feature pieces created by American artist Michele Oka Doner.

The show, titled "Spirit and Form: Michele Oka Doner and the Natural World," will feature eight pieces. They are relief prints of human forms made out of completely organic material, ranging from a 55-square-foot candelabra made out of roots cast in bronze to the centerpiece, an installation of 1,500 Soul Catchers.

"Relief prints are a type of print-making, which are made from the impressions of organic materials - roots and branches," said Amy Sawade, Public Relations specialist for Frederick Meijer Gardens. "The organic materials are shaped into human forms then inked and then pressed on organic, handmade papers."

At the root of the artist's artwork is the spiritual nature of the world around us all.

"Religion and spirituality exist all around us, binding humankind and nature together in dialogue; art and design becomes the language for our conversation," said Oka Doner in a press release about the exhibit.

Joseph Becherer, chief curator at Frederick Meijer Gardens, described how Oka Doner's fascination with nature began in her youth.

"As a young girl in the 1950s, she collected whatever washed up on the shore near her Miami home, initiating a tradition for discovery met with collecting, transformed by imagination," he said. "Ever since, the sense of nature has been truly at the core of anything and everything this artist does."

The exhibit is not only the artist's largest, but it also gives the viewer the chance to see the artist through many different styles and mediums. The exhibit covers works made in bronze and on paper, as well as more decorative pieces made out of silver.

However, there is always a similar theme to her work.

"Oka Doner's work attempts to present a profoundly mystical dimension that is not all that accidental," Becherer said. "Her work suggests the inter-connectedness of things around us, and with her openness to the spirit of nature, it makes for a truly singular and stunning visual experience."

A native of Miami Beach, Fla., Oka Doner moved to Michigan, where she began her career. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Oka Doner took part in her first solo museum exhibit in 1978. She continued her work while living in Michigan for 12 more years and has since moved to New York City.

This, however, is not her first representation at Meijer Gardens.

"Her work can currently be seen in the Sculpture Park, with the piece entitled 'Colossus,' as well as 'Gnomon,' which can be seen inside," Sawade said.

She also showed a 13,000-foot sculpture consisting of more than 1,650 bronze leaf and other natural elements, called "Beneath the Leafy Crown," Sawade added.

"She has also helped change this very park," Becherer said. "Her work has completely changed the style and philosophy of the garden, and this is the perfect tribute to one of today's truly influential artists."

The exhibit will be on display from Friday through May 9 at Frederick Meijer Gardens. For more information, visit http://www.meijergardens.org.

jbrunsting@lanthorn.com

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