Wicked Plants: The Exhibit

Walking through an exhibit made to look like an old house filled with the characters and stories and artifacts from a book I wrote...that is a weird experience.

And I realize that it sounds like shameless self-promotion to talk about it, but--it must be talked about.

It's happening at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC, and from there it will travel around the country.  I'm not sure where it's going next, but there are several museums looking at dates now.

Here's an interesting thing about this exhibit:  it's built in such a way that it basically packs itself.  No shipping cartons are necessary:  the walls, the furniture, the props--all of it fits precisely into a truck, with one room basically serving as a crate for all of the smaller bits, all of which only need to be wrapped in furniture blankets the way you'd move your own stuff.  Much of it is super-lightweight, too, which makes it less expensive and fuel-intensive to move.  This is the sort of thing that you'd never know about the exhibit walking through it--but it is very cleverly put together.

The walls are hung with portraits of the weird dead ancestors. The unfortunate victims of wicked plants, most of them.  Although some were practioners of the dark art of poison.

There are specially-made books sitting around the house--all of them made by a local book bindery.  In fact, almost 200 local artists and craftspeople and tradespersons were hired to help build the exhibit--it was its own little economic stimulus program.

There are dead bodies slumped over tables.  Imagine my excitement.

and, in the dining room, a liquor cabinet with bottles of mysterious wicked potions.  Each label is a fascinating little read all by itself.   

Even the bathroom is creepy and weird.

It's the kind of exhibit that requires you to figure stuff out on your own--you actually walk around opening drawers, taking things off shelves, examining the evidence.

I've been working with the Arboretum for the last couple of years on this exhibit, but honestly, I had no idea what to expect when I went to see it last month.  So I get no credit for this--this is really all their doing.  Amazing.

It'll be in Asheville through early September, then it starts to tour--to find out more about all of that, go here.  And if you're in the area, or if you have friends in North Carolina, I hope you'll encourage them to go check it out in person and let me know what you think.

Comments

[Mary Gray]

SO COOL!!!

[Timeless Environments]

Don't worry about the creepiness. This allows something for all the readers, even the ones who sometimes disagree with your posts.

*smile*

[tina@inthegarden]

I thought it was a really neat exhibit when I visited it on the Garden Bloggers Spring Fling. Top notch for sure.

[Katie E-P]

That looks SO COOL. I need to try to get out there!

[tibs]

Very clever. MIght even convince the husband to go see this (without brbing him with a meal out) if it comes anywere near us. He loves creepy stuff, but not garden stuff.

[anne]

I hope this exhibit makes it out to Oregon! I couldn't find a schedule on the site ( maybe it's not completed yet). I will look for it in my area.

[Jodi]

What a fun project, Amy! I love the look of it--all the gothic sensibility. I hope it comes to Minneapolis.

[Gerry]

HOPING it will be visiting Michigan !!!

[Cathy and Steve]

Totally cool!!! Thanks sop much for sharing... I am hoping it comes to Boston or NYC at some point!

[Tyler C]

a vast improvement on the SF conservatory of flowers exhibit, methinks. bring it to SoCal!

[Frank Hyman]

Saw it last week--quite a gas!

[Crybrug]

What a fun idea. I really hope it makes it to the Florida area. Great job to all involved!

[Autumn]

Hoping it's travels brings it to the Philadelphia area!