2024 Student Art Contest Winner

Magnolia, Transplanted
by Ellie Stanislav

     
Photos courtesy of Jennifer Hunnell

Our 2024 student art contest has selected a winner!

The garden's first art contest asked undergraduate and graduate students to submit an original work that spoke to our philosophy of people, plants, and place; one that explored the interconnectedness between people and nature, as well as a channel for wellbeing and inclusivity. The winning submission was Magnolia, Transplanted by Bachelor of Fine Arts student Ellie Stanislav. In Ellie's own words:

"Our lives are informed by the events of our past-influencing and constructing our futures. As such, this body of work is shaped by these same perspectives. My work creates a space for me to first explore and then communicate my own ideas about place and displacement, memories and stories, stemming from this rearview mirror perspective of my personal history and the hardships my family faced early on in my life. The tiles of Magnolia, Transplanted are artifacts of this exploration.

Clay is one such material that, when treated correctly, is malleable over and over again. It can be torn down and reformed, rebuilt until it becomes what you need. However, once fired, you must accept the change that has been made. Both flowers modeled in the tiles, the magnolia and the black-eyed Susan, represent New Orleans and the origin, or birth, of my family. Despite the destruction New Orleans experienced from Hurricane Katrina, the city persevered. We began anew, and the flowers proved resilient, just like my parents. Of course, accepting the change, pulling up our roots, and relinquishing our ties to New Orleans proved difficult for me. My heartache for a life I could have had persisted.

My work is a form of reflection and a way to nurture reconnection, while also accepting the change precipitated when New Orleans flooded. Finding and making these connections both preserve a past I am building and are durable in ways that a flood could do no damage. Like my tiles, once fired in the kiln, plastered to a wall and grouted in place next to each other, they have a permanent presence wherever they stand."

Magnolia, Transplanted will be on display in the garden until November 1, 2024. We hope that you are able to come visit the garden pond and see Ellie's beautiful work in person!