Dallas Arboretum welcomes back ZimSculpt, a world-renowned collection of modern Zimbabwean sculpture, to Dallas’ botanical garden through Aug. 8.
ZimSculpt, first at the Dallas Arboretum in 2017, returned to the gardens in an opening ceremony on May 1 that coincided with the Dallas Arboretum’s first Black Heritage Celebration and includes more than 100 hand-selected sculptures, NBC DFW reported.
“This exhibit is one way that the arboretum is helping all of us in this city reintroduce ourselves into society while also bringing that world that’s been impossible to physically reach through travel closer to us in Dallas,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in a Facebook post.
As part of the exhibit, several dozen Shona artists are featured, and visitors can watch sculptors Passmore Mupindiko and Brighton Layson as they work with chisels, hammers, files and sandpaper, the Advocate reported.
“Personally, I’m struck by the beauty and by the craftsmanship required to bring these extraordinary sculptures to life,” Johnson said, as reported by NBC DFW. “And at a time when we’ve been left largely with our own thoughts and honestly, constant anxieties, this artwork means more to us now than just the ability to appreciate the technical skill which obviously a lot when into. It represents a different way of seeing our world.”
Founder of ZimSculpt, Vivienne Croisette, said that sculptures from Zimbabwe are so unique because of the different rocks and minerals the country has, which she believes makes the exhibit so famous.
“The rocks aren’t just outside the artists’ house. You have to go to a mine,” Croisette said, as reported by NBC DFW. “Zimbabwe has over 200 different minerals, so we’re blessed with our stone. That’s why I think stone sculpture has become so popular in Zimbabwe and so famous is because we have absolutely extraordinary stone.”
According to Croisette, the exhibit was supposed to be featured in Alabama last year, but had to be postponed, then finally canceled, because of the pandemic.
In a tweet from the Dallas Arboretum, they did state that their mask policy has been updated and masks will no longer be required for the outdoor exhibit, but will be required if going indoors.
To learn more about the exhibit or the Dallas Arboretum, visit the arboretum website.