A landscape longed for: The garden as disturbance is curated by Laura Novoa and Adler Guerrier and features work by 15 artists, each of whom, using various mediums and perspectives, explores the motif of the garden in its relation to the cultivation and expression of beauty and knowledge.

A landscape longed for: The garden as disturbance takes inspiration from the writings of Jamaica Kincaid. Kincaid, a gardener and lay horticulturist, wrote lovingly about the modalities felt within her garden – frustrations and disturbances accompanied by joy and amazement Despite the planning, plotting, and formulating that are implemented, Kincaid is aware that nature cannot be fully contained or controlled. It disturbs the best-laid plans and forces us to adapt and to be responsive to the unknown, to envision and hope for a better future continually.

The exhibit features the works of Laura Castro, Carolina Casusol, Sandi Haber Fifield, David Hartt, Jim Hodges, Mark Fleuridor, Candice Lin, Cathy Lu, Lee Mary Manning, Ana Mendieta, Reginald O’Neal, Ebony Patterson, Ema Ri, Onajide Shabaka and Kandis Williams. The artists consider the intricacies of the garden as a metaphor for the larger world, using it as a framework to consider cultural, social, political, geographical, and historical issues.

A landscape longed for: The garden as disturbance builds on the exhibit’s first iteration, showcased at Locust Projects in Miami in 2021. There, works were displayed with dialogues addressing notions of fragility, remembrance, ornamentation, beauty, and affective traces in the landscape. At CEAM, the show’s themes extend to ecological interdependence, homage, reverence, refuge, renewal, and time emphatically spent on creating and nourishing our inner lives.

The show was thoughtfully curated by Laura Novoa and Adler Guerrier. Novoa is a curator and arts administrator based in Miami, FL, where she works as Assistant Director of Programs and Community Engagement at the Bakehouse Art Complex. She has curated exhibitions for the Miami Design District, Locust Projects, Oolite Arts, and YoungArts, among others. Guerrier is an artist based in Miami who has presented his works in exhibitions at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Orlando Museum of Art, Pérez Art Museum Miami, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and CEAM.

A landscape longed for: The garden as disturbance opens at the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum, 48 Sevilla Street in St. Augustine, on Friday, March 1st, and will be on view through April 20th. Please note that the museum will be closed from March 11th to March 15th during Flagler College’s Spring Break.

CEAM programming is supported through grants from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Dr. JoAnn Crisp-Ellert Fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, and the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council. Additional sponsorship is provided by VOCO St. Augustine and IHG Hotel.