Summer is officially here! As the seasons shift, the City is seeking submissions for Art by Nature: Front Yard Friends, a celebration of our local environment. This exhibit brings attention to front yard landscaping. Eight sites from across Fayette County are featured. Visual artists of all types - painters, photographers, fiber artists, jewelry makers, sculptors and more - are encouraged to participate. The deadline for artists to declare their intent to exhibit is Saturday, July 30.
The Art by Nature program is in its fifth year. The initiative showcases local native landscapes as represented by local artists. The inaugural year focused on local greenways and streamside restoration projects. Native plants in medians, easements and mailbox strips were featured in 2019. In both 2020 and 2021 trees got their chance to shine. Now, in 2022, front yards have taken center stage.
The topic was selected to bring attention to new Plant by Numbers plans for front yards. These plans make it easy for novices to design beautiful, low-maintenance, Earth-friendly landscapes. The plans were created by EARTHeim Landscape Design, and are available for free from the City, lexingtonky.gov/PlantByNumbers.
The exhibit will take place Friday, August 26 through Saturday, September 24, at the Loudoun House. The program is not juried; artists of all levels are welcome to participate by submitting up to three pieces. Participants are guaranteed only one spot in the show. Works are for sale, though an artist may choose to opt-out of that aspect of the program. Ten percent of proceeds will benefit Celebrate Lexington, formerly known as America in Bloom Lexington. Artists keep the remainder.
“Front yards can be one of the most underappreciated spaces in urban environments, yet they provide a number of benefits,” says Nancy Albright, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works. “The Art by Nature series always results in an amazing array of art, and I’m looking forward to seeing this year’s exhibit.”
The City is planning a series of art and nature events in conjunction with the exhibit. Details on those events will be announced in early August.
The artist’s intent to participate form, map of featured locations and other information can be found at lexingtonky.gov/ArtByNature.
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