The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens has commissioned British installation artist, Rebecca Louise Law, to create and implement a site-specific installation, using flowers and natural materials, exploring the relationship between humanity and nature. The exhibition will open to the public on Friday, July 30, 2021, and run through January 9, 2022.

A proponent of sustainability, Law will incorporate 1.2 million flowers from her previous installations around the world in the creation of the Museum’s installation, which also requires more than 1,200 community volunteer hours to install.

“I want this installation to be a physical and participatory experience. After exploring the intimacy of the womb and the sensation of being consumed and cocooned in nature, I would like to explore the momentum of life,” said Law. “From the second we are formed in cells we are moving and changing, within a world that is also evolving. The motion of walking through nature and witnessing its many forms from life to death. This rhythmic cycle that we are all participants of, fascinates me. This installation will be a short journey through nature, with its many forms and scents, stimulating the senses to the extreme.” 

“Law’s site-specific installation, The Journey, is a timely invitation to immerse ourselves in nature’s abundant splendor and soak in its awe-inspiring beauty,” said Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, Ph.D., the Museum’s George W. and Kathleen I. Gibbs Director and CEO. “In recent months, most have at times felt fragile, depleted and vulnerable. Law’s poetic installation, incorporating millions of delicate dried and fresh flowers that have been painstakingly linked together by hand, is an apt metaphor for our shared quest to emerge stronger and more resilient than ever. This exhibition promises to activate our senses and ignite collective joy. We are privileged to present an original installation by this internationally acclaimed artist, whose work introduces new dimensions to the Museum’s emphasis on art, gardens, and education.” 

Law uses both dried and fresh flowers in her work to illuminate the time-bound and natural process of decay, which is an integral part of her practice. Inspired by the dried flowers that hung in her attic as a child, Law’s “sculptures” are suspended from above and held together with copper wire, which are assembled by volunteers.

The volunteer effort began in mid-July, with community members assisting with stringing together garlands of flowers and taking some ownership over the installation — an aspect of the project that the artist feels passionate about.

“The Cummer Museum is thrilled that so many community members jumped at the opportunity to take part in the installation of Rebecca’s exhibition,” said Holly Keris, the Museum’s J. Wayne & Delores Barr Weaver Chief Curator. “While community participation has always been an important component of her work, whether actively by wiring flowers or more passively through physically and emotionally immersing themselves in the finished product, it has taken on a new level of significance during the pandemic. I hope visitors experiencing this installation will take a moment to delight in the abundance of the Earth, marvel at the interconnectivity of people and nature and our individual roles within our community microcosm and contemplate our collective journey over the past year.” 

Philanthropic support from the community is critical for the Museum to serve as a vibrant civic resource. Support for Rebecca Louise Law: The Journey has been generously provided by:

Exhibition Season Presenters:
Lory C. Doolittle
Florida Blue

Exhibition Lead Sponsors:
Ameris Bank
Art Bridges

Exhibition Sponsors:
Joan and Jim Van Vleck
City of Jacksonville
Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
Director’s Circle at the Cummer Museum
State of Florida
The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
The Robert D. and Isabelle T. Davis Endowment
The Schultz Family Endowment
The Winston Family Foundation

Membership provides many benefits, including exclusive openings and tours. The Museum will host an exhibition opening celebration for members on July 29, 2021.