Arboreal: Recent Works by Hillary Waters

by Jonah Holland,  Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Leaf cut art moving installation by Hillary Waters

Walking down the hall in the Kelly Education Center yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice a very lovely art exhibit going up at Ginter Gallery II. The first thing that struck me was the movement. My walking stirred the air and in turn rippled across an installation of tiny leaves. I almost thought the leaves were butterfly wings.  Upon closer inspection I was amazed to see each one had been carefully cut, dried and pinned to the wall with a hand-made hanger.  The art flowed like a mobile on a wall.  Some of the leaves resembled crab shells, others resembled seashells.

Happily, the artist, Hillary Waters was still hanging the show when I walked by and I got to ask her the question I was most interested in learning: What kind of leaves did she use? Ligustrum was her reply. It’s a very simple shrub, with very plain, but sturdy leaves, which makes it perfect for a project like this. You might also know it as privet.

I filmed a movie for you of the movement, but trust me, this is one art show you’ll want to visit in person. To get a sense of the movement you can watch the video below. Hillary Waters is a graduate student in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. 

Arboreal: Recent Works by Hillary Waters  March 7 – May 10, 2015