A new art installation is inspired by plants and trees

Awakein Every Sense

A new art installation by Rachel Hayes, in partnership with LAND studio, opens Saturday, June 25, at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

This summer, in partnership with LAND studio, the Cleveland Botanical Garden will open Awake in Every Sense, the artwork of Rachel Hayes. The artist will begin her installation the week of June 20, and the exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, June 25. Rachel’s work has been featured all over the country and world and is truly a feast for the senses, especially the eyes!

Hayes was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She received her BFA in Fiber from the Kansas City Art Institute and her MFA in Painting from Virginia Commonwealth University. Often using fabric to create largescale work, she is interested in inserting color and form into both built and natural environments.

Hayes is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Award in Painting and Sculpture, Augustus Saint-Gaudens Memorial Fellowship in Sculpture, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship in Sculpture, Virginia Commission for the Arts Fellowship in Sculpture and a Charlotte Street Fund Award. She has attended the Marie Walsh Sharpe Space Program in New York, New York; Sculpture Space Residency in Utica, New York, and Art Omi International Artists’ Residency in Ghent, New York, among many other accomplishments.

Hayes has collaborated with the Italian fashion house Missoni, culminating with a solo exhibition during Milan Design Week. Recently, she exhibited a site-specific installation with Istanbul74 during the 16th Contemporary Istanbul, Turkey. Her work has been covered by The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Cut, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Times, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Artforum, among others.

We asked the artist a few questions about the new installation:

Could you tell us about your design?

Graphic sight lines of color are installed throughout the gardens to highlight interesting points and long distances, and to keep the eyes searching while walking the various trails. The sewn works will interact with the weather on any given day. The work may be gently swaying with the wind or catch light dappling through the trees. When I am with my work outdoors and notice these small moments of interaction, I become more present and in the moment, and I hope others have unique experiences, as well, even if they are fleeting.

How are plants, trees and the garden inspiring the installation?

I am thinking about how all the colors will interact with nature’s palette of greens and earth tones. I think it will be striking, not unlike seeing blooms or sunsets peeking through the landscape. We are letting the trees dictate where the work hangs, since we are depending on them for their strength and height, while, of course, taking good care to be gentle.

How has the botanical garden space inspired your art overall? What do you love most about plants and trees?

The botanical garden provides a distinctive environment for me to respond to, including impressive tree heights, dynamic angles and a rich color palette. This is an exhilarating way to work as an artist, because I am not starting with a blank canvas, rather I am presented with a different set of opportunities and constraints to consider, as well as taking the weather into account. I won’t be using any poles or trusses, and I’ll go to great lengths to minimize my footprint. The trees and plants are delightful follies to collaborate with, and as much as we (installation team) plan how the installation will go, I am sure we will also be using our intuition and beautiful moments that we can’t even anticipate that are sure to reveal themselves. This is what I love most about working with and around plants and trees. We will be working in the present, and in the moment together.