Sculpture & Art Collection
These sculptures, installations, and art pieces are part of the Garden’s permanent collection and are currently on display throughout the grounds.
- SCULPTURE GARDEN
Combing by John McIntire
- c1973 cast stone
- John McIntire, a retired professor of sculpture at Memphis College of Art, is best known for creating a special birthday present for The King, Elvis, who received a statue of Jesus that can still be viewed at Graceland today.
Adam and Eve by Ted Rust
- c1968 painted fiberglass
- Ted Rust was a talented sculptor and long-time Director of Memphis College of Art. He said this about this sculpture, “I never could go totally abstract. I like telling a story too much.”
The Leap by Billy Price Carroll
- c1995 bronze on stone
- Billy Price Carroll’s portraiture career spanned over 63 years of activity in painting and bronze. Borothy Pugh, founder of Ballet Memphis, was said to be the model for The Leap sculpture.
Lowes Grid, Two Pitchers, Lateral Follower by Jim Buchman
- 2011 cement
- Jim Buchman is a Memphis native. He was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1977. His forms are reminiscent of both modernist abstractions and antiquity’s most elegant columns and pillars. www.jimbuchman.com
Artifact by Carroll Todd
- 1989 bronze
- Working in precisely formed and welded sheet bronze, Todd’s sense of child-like wonderment of nature is sharp. The work is clearly inspired by modernist thoughts and design tendencies similar to Sheela O’Keefe and Nadelman.
Large Ribbed Bowl by Cecil Humphreys
- 2014 bronze
- “This bowl was hand formed in clay and then hand cast in bronze using the same lost wax method which has been used for the last several thousand years.” www.cecilhumphreys.com
Impossible Object (Arch) by Greely Myatt
- 2013 steel
- “With this sculpture I am interested in making a piece that uses optical illusions to address issues of 2D/3D space. These ‘impossible objects’ are usually drawn and seldom seen in real space. I really like the back and forth that happens as this drawing/sculpture stands against the fantastic backdrop of the botanical garden.
The Businessman by Lon Anthony
- c1975 bronze
- Lawrence “Lon” Anthony’s pieces are amused responses to what he sees when observing humanity. Humor was the cornerstone of his work. From 1961-1995 he was the Fine Arts Instructor at Rhodes College– the first arts instructor.
Cumulonimbus by Brian Russell
- 2005 cast crystal and forged aluminum
- “I draw inspiration from forms and rhythms in nature, ancient artifacts, mathematics and science– distilling these influences into abstract points of intersection.” www.brianrussellsculpture.com
Neutrinos and Neutrino Impression by Roy Tamboli
- 2015 stainless steel
- “Neutrinos are one of the fundamental, subatomic particles which make up the universe. I love thinking about all the energy, movement, and life inside plants that we cannot see without magnification.”
Flight of Fancy by Yvonne Bobo
- 2017 stainless steel with rainbow patina
- “Flight of Fancy” is inspired by the exuberant flight of barn swallows; their acrobatic choreography makes me long for this freedom of movement seemingly unaffected by the forces grounding me. www.yvonnebobostudio.com
Sculptural Handrail from Metal Museum in memory of Mary Robinson
- MY BIG BACKYARD: SEEDLING CIRCLE
Dog Sculpture and Melody Mockingbird (on top of doghouse) in Seedling Circle by Tim Kinnard
Stained Glass in Seedling Circle by Suzy Hendrix
- MY BIG BACKYARD: PLAYHOUSE LANE
Finders Keepers Playhouse by Mary Jo Karimnia
- MY BIG BACKYARD: WORMVILLE
Earthworms in Wormville by Bernhard Meck
Hardwood Percussive Trio by Sean P. Murphy & Anne Froning Wike
- MY BIG BACKYARD: TREETOP ADVENTURE
Copper/Cedar Birdhouses by Copper Hall (John Wright Hall & Brad Arnold)
Birds and Nest by DaKoda Davis
Ode to Her Bottled Up Nesting Instinct (birdhouse bottle tree) by Mary Cour Burrows
Eagle’s Nest by Terrence Brown
- MY BIG BACKYARD: GUEST HOUSE
Crow-Be-Gonners (scarecrows) by Mary Cour Burrows
- MY BIG BACKYARD: DECOMPOSITION MAZE
Pillbugs in Decomposition Maze by Bernhard Meck
- MY BIG BACKYARD: WELCOME WILDLIFE
Butterfly patio in Welcome Wildlife area by Kristi Duckworth
Birdbath by Copper Hall (John Wright Hall & Brad Arnold)
Bugnation Stained Glass Insects by Suzy Hendrix
Chrysalis Swing by Bill Price
Recycled Dragonfly by Tim Pace
Metal Flowers by Elijah Gold
- MY BIG BACKYARD: CRITTER CREEK
Leaping Levi by Larry Luger
Snake, Frog, And Crawfish by Larry Lugar
- MY BIG BACKYARD: ALICE'S GARDEN
Enchanted Mushroom Palace by Clinton Ellis
- Created in collaboration with Yvonne Bobo. Click to learn more about the artist & his work.
-
CONIFER
COLLECTION
Destino III by Roy Tamboli
- 2007 bronze
- Roy says of his work, “This organic sculpture is about transformation over time and evolving to a more meaningful reality with greater purpose. As we are transmuted by unanticipated twists of fate and outside forces, we learn to accept and work with new states of being.”
-
DELTA
GARDEN
Bottle Tree by Mary Cour Burrows
-
HERB
GARDEN
Gazebo in the Herb Garden from the Metal Museum of Memphis
-
IRIS
GARDEN
“Iris, Goddess of The Rainbow” in the Iris Garden by Bobbe Gentry
-
JAPANESE
GARDEN
Budding Flowers by Ernests Vitins
-
SENSORY
GARDEN
Chime Tree by Billy Price Carroll
- Billy Price Carroll’s portraiture career spanned over 63 years of activity in painting and bronze.
Queen Eleanor
Garden statuary donated by Steven Hickman
Heron Fountain by Walter Matia
- Walter Matia is an award-winning artist from Dickerson, MD who specializes in bronze sculptures that typically feature birds, sporting dogs, and other wildlife.
Untitled by Brent Kington
- Brent Kington was a metalsmith from Topeka, KS who specialized in blacksmithing and sculpture.
-
WATER
GARDEN
Kinetic Crane by Yvonne Bobo in collaboration with engineer Anuj Anjaria
- THE WOODLAND
Luna by Jim Masterson, Metal Museum (Memphis)
Unfurling Fiddleheads by Elisha Gold
-
OTHER AREAS
OF GARDEN
Ascending located at the edge of the Great Lawn by Billy Price Carroll
Standing Girl at Wildflower Woodland Entrance by Glenna Goodacre
Hunter beyond Four Seasons Garden by Teresa Hanson
Garden Lady by Danny Daniels
- Danny Daniels is a Maine artist, and this piece of his was generously donated to our Garden by Clare McDonald. This “Garden Lady” tips her hat to you as you walk along Celebration Stroll.
Stained Glass in Potting Shed at Nursery at the Garden by Rick Bailey
Guitar in the Live Garden by Ron Olson
Cora statue
Garden Lady by Danny Daniels
- Danny Daniels is a Maine artist, and this piece of his was generously donated to our Garden by Clare McDonald. This “Garden Lady” tips her hat to you as you walk along Celebration Stroll.
Stained Glass in Potting Shed at Nursery at the Garden by Rick Bailey
- Interested in an exhibition of your work?
The Memphis Botanic Garden welcomes proposals for high quality art exhibitions to be displayed on our gallery walls.