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Starting on Friday, January 20, 2023, McKee Botanical Garden will be hosting Master Glass Artist Jason Gamrath’s Garden of Glass Exhibition which will run through Sunday, April 30, 2023.
This colorful and thought-provoking exhibit celebrates the beauty, wonderment, and power in the natural world through the medium of glass. This exhibition features 10 stunning glass orchids, waterlilies, and plants standing anywhere from six to fourteen feet tall on display throughout the Garden. This is Jason’s first outdoor garden exhibit in Florida.
Each bright and colorful piece is intended to accurately represent its living counterpart on a macro scale, bringing to light the beauty that exists within the micro scale of nature. Both delicate and monumental, these one-of-a-kind sculptures convey the complexity of their living counterparts, engaging the viewers in new ways of looking at nature through the fragility of glass art. Small plants, although minuscule in comparison to our human-sized way of existing, are overwhelmingly perplexing when held inches away from one’s face. Most people will seldom grasp this seemingly secret perception of existence. “When I scale life forms up to be larger than a person, they can be observed with this perspective from across a room due to the overwhelming physical presence they command. It is my hope that when people admire my large-scale renderings, they become curious and captivated by the hints of realism I incorporate into my designs. I encourage people to attempt to observe with the same eyes through which I humbly and graciously experience our natural world,” stated Jason.
Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life attend Gamrath’ s exhibitions. People from all over the country and the world at large come to experience the powerful emotion felt and absorbed when face-to-face with one of his original, seemingly alive creations in person. “If a piece of art had a soul, I would expect it to reside in a Gamrath”, stated Executive Director Christine Hobart.
About the Artist
Jason Gamrath is a world-renowned glass sculptor and artist from Seattle, Washington. His fascination with glass began at age 15, and a year later he began taking classes at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. At age 18, he graduated from the nearby Pilchuck Glass School, where he met and studied with the world’s leading glass artists. In the space of just a few years, Jason began receiving recognition from around the world for his groundbreaking work. Exhibits of his sculptures have drawn large crowds across the United States, as well as in Greece, Sweden, and China. Now in his 30’s, Jason continues to expand the possibilities of glass art, both in size and detail.
Admission: $15 Adults, $13 Seniors (65+)/Youth (13-17), $10 Children (2-12). McKee members and children under 2 free.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday (10 am – 5 pm) | Sunday (12 pm – 5 pm). The last admission is at 4 pm. The Children’s Garden closes at 4:30 pm. The Garden is closed on Mondays and major holidays.
McKee Botanical Garden | 350 US Highway 1, Vero Beach, FL 32962 | (772) 794-0601 | www.mckeegarden.org
Photos by @ Jason Gamrat
