Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden
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Conceptual Art by environment artist
activist Nancy Forrester
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"far-flung garden" richly rewarding and inspiring. Fiercly
independent individual handmade environment years of obsessive work expresses profoundly
personal and frequently onoxthodox beliefs form of persuasion a place to make public the creator
heartfelt ideas about the past and the future or healthful living the form it took was no materials no
brick no mortar extraordinary sigage. individual unique creation. how does it fit into traditional
garden design religious archetecture environmental sculpture and folk art.as an artist I have the
compulsion to create the sense of place, an an inflamed visionary spirit quoted at lenght my own
poignant and pungent commentary on what they have created and why A site endowed with
public concepts botanical value, a naturalized woodland garden nicknamed Key
West's rainforest, with arroids, fern orchids, and 150 different kinds of palms, historical
and cultural value, Centariun fruit trees planted by the Conchs 100 years ago,
environnmental value (last acre of undeveloped wooded land in the heart of old town)
artistic value beautiful jewel of the tropics, magnet for artists and naturalists .
Sanctuary value used for sensory perception for peace for thearpy ceremonies resting
place for the deceased skeptical acceptance ideosyncratic genus tenacious faith and
unalienated labor. An art that aspires to say much compelling subject hand made
environment that express a personal ans moral vision I chose on my birthday to identify
myself as an artist and identified by others Environment surrouns and engulfs the
houses result of many years of work material world challanges credulity little prior
knowledge. language of art environment outsider, isolate,eccentric,grassroots
vernacular,naive a distance from conventions and high culture. pejorative as well.
creation marginal statusstress isolationa nd art born of social and cultural
circumstances. looks like a Word garden in a particular way.garden collection of plants
Garden a private space a collection of plants intended as a place of refuge or leisure. it
is the prevailing metaphor for paradise exalted sence humble sense a patch of earth
from which we coax our food. Garden is a bounded space brought under control/ to
some measure of perfection creato endows with particular personal meanings. to share
with the world.My garden is where my private speculation makes it appearance before
the public I defined a conception of nature and its place in the world.a distance from
conventions and high culture. pejorative as well. creation marginal statusstress
isolationa nd art born of social and cultural circumstances..My garden is where my
private speculation makes it appearance before the public where I defined a my
conception of nature and its place in the world.Ideas about the natural world and the
use of money reside in the human mind.
What is a good idea worth? How can it be put into action? How long do ideas last? What
ideas lead to activism?
Nancy's ideas:
To fuse art and life, to share my lifestyle with the public to exhibit my own environmental
activism, my love for Key West, my studio-home-back yard, and my creative lifestyle of 35
years on an island within the Marine Sanctuary. A magnet for creative people and
naturalist.
I wished to create for "my backyard" a Landmark so endowed with love and worthy
public concepts that it would forever be protected from bricks and mortar, and after my
death to be a place where creative people mostly environment artists continue on
living, working, and presenting art to the public. My concept for the site was to open to
the public as an IDEA "garden". To use my home studio backyard and lifestyle as a
environment artist as a form of persuasion. Idiosyncratic genus, tenacious faith and un
alienated labor.A place where I can express my highly personal and frequently
unorthodox beliefs about the proper use of money and healthful living, a place where I
can express my personal moral conviction about the loss of the natural world. Where I
could regal at length the poignant and tragic story of my own backyards environmental
losses and to tell my personal truths about the capitalist ventures surrounding and
enveloping me, my two historical residences and "my backyard" the last undeveloped
wooded acre of land in the heart of old town Key West.
Nancy's ideas:
To fuse art and life, to share my lifestyle with the public to exhibit my own environmental
activism, my love for Key West, my studio-home-back yard, and my creative lifestyle of 35
years on an island within the Marine Sanctuary. A magnet for creative people and
naturalist.
I wished to create for "my backyard" a Landmark so endowed with love and worthy
public concepts that it would forever be protected from bricks and mortar, and after my
death to be a place where creative people mostly environment artists continue on
living, working, and presenting art to the public. My concept for the site was to open to
the public as an IDEA "garden". To use my home studio backyard and lifestyle as a
environment artist as a form of persuasion. Idiosyncratic genus, tenacious faith and un
alienated labor.A place where I can express my highly personal and frequently
unorthodox beliefs about the proper use of money and healthful living, a place where I
can express my personal moral conviction about the loss of the natural world. Where I
could regal at length the poignant and tragic story of my own backyards environmental
losses and to tell my personal truths about the capitalist ventures surrounding and
enveloping me, my two historical residences and "my backyard" the last undeveloped
wooded acre of land in the heart of old town Key West.
Jesper Roos, age six:
Nancy's Garden is
like a giant lung it
provides fresh air for
all of Key West.
Jesper Roos, age six:
Nancy's Garden is
like a giant lung it
provides fresh air for
all of Key West.