arctangent > 'Dorado', by Jack Youngerman, 1975.

Located in the 'Grasses Garden' at the Toledo Botanical Gardens.
July 1.
arctangent > Bonsai.

Each week, three different examples of the art are put on display in a separate area designed to promote calm, contemplative viewing of offerings.  They can be viewed from above on the walkway that runs along the side of the conservatory, or from ground level.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens Conservatory, Ann Arbor, Michigan,
Temperate House
arctangent > Bonsai detail.

I have no idea whether this is a good example, who created it, how old it is, even what species the plant is.  I just chose it because it appealed to me.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens Conservatory, Ann Arbor, Michigan,
Temperate House
arctangent > Hanging on a Leaf,
Bernard Takawira, 1994, Opal Stone.

"All of life hangs on the leaf.  The oxygen we breathe and the food that sustains us all come from the leaves."

One of only three sculptures in the exhibition that depict plants rather than people or animals.

'Chapungu'  exhibit, Powell Gardens, Missouri
arctangent > "Hanging on a leaf", detail.

The surface detail on the upper portion of the sculpture is rough, and I'm sure is meant to look natural, but I'm equally sure that this is an artful illusion created by the carver.

'Chapungu'  exhibit, Powell Gardens, Missouri
arctangent > Melancholy Girl,
Tapfuma Gutsa, 1988, Opal stone.

"As a child I was so happy and carefree.  Now I am saddened by my life and our family circumstances."

The same artist carved "Antelope Changes into Butterfly".  Since the carver is a man, the description is not autobiographical in a literal sense.

'Chapungu'  exhibit, Powell Gardens, Missouri
arctangent > Zimbabwe Bird,
Dominic Benhura, 1999, Springstone.

"Chapungu --- the great bird spirit.  Symbol of our nation, protecting us through the centuries."

In the background is the sculpture "Big Buck Surrendering", and beyond it, "Antelope Changes into Butterfly.

'Chapungu'  exhibit, Powell Gardens, Missouri
arctangent > Big Buck Surrendering,
Sanwell Chirume, 1990, Serpentine.

"We can hide from the hunters and run from the bullets, but we cannot sustain the pollution of the rivers, the cutting of the trees, and the destruction of our environment."

Visible in the background is the sculpture "Antelope Changes into Butterfly".

'Chapungu'  exhibit, Powell Gardens, Missouri
arctangent > Antelope Changes into Butterfly,
Tapfuma Gutsa, 1988 Opal stone.

"Membwe, the young antelope, is pursued by hunters.  At the last moment, she metamorphoses into a butterfly and flies to safety."

This carving was, for me, very challenging to interpret.  But it exhibits a wide range of surface detail that is worth viewing in some of the larger versions of this photo.

'Chapungu'  exhibit, Powell Gardens, Missouri
'Dorado', by Jack Youngerman, 1975.

Located in the 'Grasses Garden' at the Toledo Botanical Gardens.
July 1.
arctangent > 'Dorado', by Jack Youngerman, 1975.

Located in the 'Grasses Garden' at the Toledo Botanical Gardens.
July 1.
'Dorado', by Jack Youngerman, 1975.

Located in the 'Grasses Garden' at the Toledo Botanical Gardens.
July 1.
See photo in gallery

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