Horticulture Professor Famulari Exhibits at the Smithsonian
July 22, 2019
Assistant Professor Stevie Famulari, Department of Urban Horticulture and Design, recently returned from the experience of a lifetime. Her work – which deftly merges art and horticulture – was exhibited at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building as part of the “By the People” art festival.
Titled “Engaging Urban Greening,” the exhibit featured more than 1,400 pieces of artfully crafted, multi-colored construction paper, which was seeded for planting. The seeded paper was then distributed to the public, with pieces making their way from New York to California, South Korea to India, and Australia to England. Wild flowers will bloom where the paper is planted.
Smithsonian Magazine.com said about Professor Famulari: “Just as she believes we are all capable of making a positive impact on our environment, Famulari is also a passionate advocate of the idea that anyone can create art if they put in the effort. ‘Everybody’s style should not be judged as better or worse,’ she says. ‘Their art has value because it’s their perspective.'”
The heart of the exhibit was a field of colorful paper flowers sloping down a staircase. There was also a workshop for people who wanted to create their own seeded paper sculptures.
“It was an awe-inspiring experience,” Professor Famulari said. “To have an installation of my work in the Smithsonian is wonderfully mind-boggling itself. To have 1,400 seeded papers go around the world because people want to participate in green design brings an instant smile just to think about it. People have begun to send me photos of their plantings of the seeded paper. And I am in awe of the participation. The experience is barely describable.
“I typically believe that no product is worth a bad process. In other words, people spend much more of their time in process rather than final product. So, I am going to enjoy and celebrate the process – and be in awe of the product. This green installation is much more process – and because it is greening – continues in process. And I love that.”
Professor Famulari and her creation
