New sculptures to welcome guests back to The Garden and IMA

Anders Herwald Ruhwald will make his Indianapolis debut with two major exhibitions, Anders Ruhwald: Century Garden and Holes at Newfields Submitted photo

Staff Reports

INDIANAPOLIS — Chicago-based artist Anders Herwald Ruhwald is making his Indianapolis debut this summer with two major exhibitions, Anders Ruhwald: Century Garden and Holes at Newfields. The open-air exhibition Century Garden opened with The Garden on June 25, and Holes will open inside the Indianapolis Museum of Art later in the summer.

“We are thrilled to present dual installations by Anders Herwald Ruhwald, one of today’s most important artists working in ceramics,” said Shelley Selim, Curator of Design and Decorative Arts and Interim Director of Curatorial Affairs. “This is the first time an artist has collaborated directly with our horticulturalists to create integrated installations of plants and art, and it was an incredibly rewarding process.”

Welcoming guests back to The Garden, Anders Ruhwald: Century Garden will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Olmsted-designed garden surrounding the Lilly House. From Woodstock Bridge to the Rapp Family Ravine Garden, guests will discover five newly-commissioned sculptural interventions by Ruhwald. Each work will be integrated into botanical arrangements that were the product of close collaboration between the artist and the Newfields horticulture team. Bold blossoms and foliage from across the globe will frame and augment Ruhwald’s vibrant artworks, producing splashes of color that disrupt the otherwise graceful, manicured garden.

The exhibition continues through October 11. It will be Ruhwald’s first entirely outdoor installation.

Ruhwald’s sculptures are imposing, nebulous and enigmatic. Their strategic placement within the landscape engages with the formal tradition of the 100-year-old Oldfields garden design, as well as the complex, wayward relationship between humans and the natural world.

All guests, including members, are required to reserve tickets online in advance, allowing Newfields to safely control crowd size to comply with large gathering protocols, while ensuring a contactless check-in process. To reserve tickets and to learn more about Newfields safety protocols and FAQs, visit DiscoverNewfields.org. Face coverings are highly recommended when visiting The Garden and required in restrooms.

When the indoor spaces at Newfields re-open, guests will be welcomed inside the Indianapolis Museum of Art by Holes, in the Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion through May 2021. The large-scale ceramic light sculpture will feature dozens of dangling ceramic rings, each casting circular shadows as the sun moves throughout the day. In the evening, small lightbulbs will illuminate the piece, creating glimmers of light in a dramatically darkened space.