public works > hidden glades / city of miami / miami-dade art in public places commission

The Hidden Glades
Sandra DeLucca Developmental Center
Art in Public Places Commission
The Hidden Glades
Sandra DeLucca Developmental Center
Art in Public Places Commission
2017

From Art in Public Places plaque:

The Hidden Glades refers to lesser known creatures of the Everglades, such as the marsh rabbit, the skunk and the river otter, depicted here among ancient cypress trees. These smaller animals are vital to the overall health of its ecosystem, yet have experienced a rapid decline in recent years, primarily due to the invasive python population. Rarely glorified or admired like the gators, their disappearance has been
mostly overlooked. The location of The Hidden Glades thus feels serendipitous at the Sandra DeLucca Developmental Center, whose mission embodies the necessity of caring for all members of our society. In this picnic location it will most often be seen by its regular members, thus the sensory diorama of trees and animals is intimate and playful despite its scale.

Christina Pettersson explores the epic and mythological dimension in her artwork. Her drawings, sculptures and performances reveal a deep allegiance to the wilderness of a bygone era and our diminishing human connection to it. As her roots in the South have grown this stage materializes from the often brutal but beautiful Everglades of her hometown, which she has spent a lifetime exploring.