Shona Sculpture in the Garden

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden announces today its first-ever Zimbabwean sculpture exhibit, ZimSculpt, which will run April 15 through July 30,  2023.

ZimSculpt will feature more than 100 exquisite sculptures by several dozen contemporary Zimbabwean artists.  Known as Shona sculpture, these contemporary pieces are carved from various types of serpentine and semi-precious stone, often weighing tons, and can be as large as seven feet tall.  This is the most collected form of African art, and it can be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Rodin Museum, and in the homes of the Prince of Wales, the Rockefellers, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, and the late Michael Jackson.

Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden

“Botanic gardens are the perfect venue for sculptures, and we’re thrilled to feature these impressive stone statues throughout the Garden,” said Executive Vice President Bob Byers. “We’re also elated that this exhibit is making its premiere in Fort Worth. We expect visitors to come from miles around.”

ZimSculpt is an exclusive exhibit from southeastern Africa for a limited engagement and does not showcase its collection in any galleries in the United States. It affords visitors a unique opportunity to view and purchase these amazing sculptures onsite.

Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden

ZimSculpt is passionate about promoting the work of some of the finest Zimbabwean sculptors.  This exhibit supports 300 sculptors and their families in five different regions of Zimbabwe.  As part of the exhibit, onsite sculptors will demonstrate their artistry by carving statues using chisels, hammers, files and sandpaper to create beautiful works while guests watch and learn about the art.

“Once a sculpture in the exhibit is sold, it is replaced with another sculpture, perhaps by a different artist,” said ZimSculpt Founder Vivienne Prince. “Therefore, the exhibit changes constantly. What visitors experience the first day of the show may be altogether different later in the exhibit.”

Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Visitors may purchase any of the sculptures on display in the Garden as well as the ones created by the onsite artists and those for sale in The Marketplace, a large tent located in the parking lot in front of the Japanese Garden. The Marketplace will be open to guests seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering hand-held to medium-size sculptures.  Commissioned pieces may be ordered and made onsite by the artists.

This limited engagement sculpture event is included in the price of Garden admission. Members receive free entry.  For more information, visit fwbg.org/zimsculpt.