Apr 30, 2008 6:04 pm US/Mountain
Denver Botanic Gardens Mixes Spray Paint & Nature
DENVER (CBS4) ―
The Denver Botanic Gardens is hosting an art exhibit described as intersection of nature and urban culture. Artists from the around the world helped create "Urban Nature."
Lisa Eldred with the Botanic Gardens describes the exhibit as a comprehensive presentation which brings the city into the gardens.
"All of this artwork was created specifically for the Gardens responding to this idea of how city and nature meet ... and how they can interact with one another," Eldred said.
"As far as the visitor experience, when they enter the Gardens they will immediately notice some vibrantly colored mural paintings in the garden spaces," said Eldred. "Many of them intentionally surprise the visitor."
All of the artwork would be considered graffiti art by most lay people. For the artists, the exhibit is chance to reach a different audience.
"Using spray paint and creating art and murals is not graffiti," is how artist Lady Pink referred to her work.
"Doing high publicity projects and exhibiting in museums and fine galleries and places like the Botanic Gardens hopefully will inspire and encourage other artists to do likewise and teach the older folks not to fear us."
A Phoenix-based artist who goes by Mac also has murals that are currently featured at the Gardens.
"Urban Nature is finding the beauty in everything. I paint people, I paint faces and I paint the human figure a lot. That's nature, we are from nature."
Lady Pink said she believes the driving force behind graffiti is a basic human urge dating to the dawn of humankind.
"I think because we are forced to live in urban environments and sometimes our surroundings are completely out of our control, we have the the urge and the need to decorate our spaces. We've always had the urge to say 'I'm passing through, here I am, pay attention to me.' It's a deep, deep instinct."
For the Denver Botanic Gardens, the exhibit is about opening visitors' eyes to different kinds of art and beauty.
"One of our goals is that when people come into the Gardens, they will be reminded that beauty exists everywhere and that these murals represent an element of that beauty," Eldred said.
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