This exhibit has ended.
INCANTO
An Oasis of Lyrical Sculpture
April 29 – October 29, 2023
Sculpture by Kate Raudenbush with Poetry by Sha Michele
The world premiere of Incanto: An Oasis of Lyrical Sculpture is the highlight of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden from April 29-October 29, 2023. Included with Garden admission; free for members.
- Five intricately designed, allegorical sculptures accompanied by poetry invite a journey of self-discovery and connection with others and the natural world.
- This is the premiere exhibition of New York City-based sculptor Kate Raudenbush, with poetry by Sha Michele in a friendship born from the legendary Burning Man community.
- Each piece is intentionally designed to be in dialogue with Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s landscape.
- Most of the sculptures invite guests to step inside. With heights reaching up to seventeen feet, they serve as portals to other worlds of thought, meaning, and healing.
- Evening hours: Dramatically lit from within, the Incanto sculptures offer multi-sensory experiences inviting further exploration at night. The Garden has evening hours May 3-Oct. 28; Wednesdays through Saturdays; until 9 p.m. and food and drink are available for purchase in the Garden Cafe. The Garden Shop also has extended hours on select evenings.
- Community Partners: on the second Friday evening of each month (May-September), the Garden collaborates with Gallery5 and other community partners on programming related to the Incanto exhibit. See the calendar for Incanto-related events.
The debut of these original works of sculpture and poetry explores our human nature and invites guests into a transformational space of self-inquiry. Each sculpture of Incanto will emerge out of the garden landscape in dialogue with a poem, with the intention of creating a sacred container where words, as questions and even incantations, activate the space and spark creative thought among guests.
Please note the sculptures are works of art; please do not touch them.
Highlights of Media Coverage
Healing Through Art and Nature: A Journey Through Kate Raudenbush’s “Incanto”
Burning Man Journal; Oct. 27, 2023
Poetic Sculpture
Virginia Living; August 25, 2023
Forget Canceled And Delayed Flights, Plan An End-Of-Summer Road Trip To Richmond Instead
Forbes, August 22, 2023
Incanto Exhibition at Botanical Garden Invites You to Reflect
Northern Virginia, August 15, 2023
The Newest Exhibit At Richmond’s Botanical Garden Combines Sculpture And Poetry
Southern Living; July 16, 2023
Enchanted Evenings & More
Dramatically lit from within, the Incanto sculptures offer multi-sensory experiences inviting further exploration at night. Starting May 3, the Garden has evening hours on Wednesdays through Saturdays until 9 p.m. with dining. Join us on Friday evenings in October for a family-friendly scavenger hunt to find all five Incanto sculptures during Flashlight Fridays. Looking for a Saturday Adult Happy Hour experience? Relax at Sips Under the Stars on the Garden Cafe Patio, with signature cocktails inspired by the sculptures of Incanto (through Oct. 21).
FIVE SCULPTURES CREATED IN DIALOGUE WITH THE LANDSCAPE
See sculpture locations on the Garden Map
Resonant Passage
Location: Sunken Garden in the Central Garden
Reflecting our life path, the hammered steps suggest the arduous uphill climb of human evolution. In the mirrored surface, we pause for reflection: of ourselves, the world around us, and others that mirror us back to ourselves.
On the other side of the pyramid, another journey—sometimes hidden from view—is taking place. Like different paths up the same mountain, we meet others along the way, intersecting and elevating our lives. The portal illustrates the serendipity of meeting others at exactly the right time in your life’s story arc, supporting your path, and experiencing the flow of life along with you.
The pyramid is symbolic of human striving for knowledge, a connection to something larger than yourself, and finding a sense of purpose. The arcs illustrate the different paths we each take on our journey to self-realization, yet remind you that you are never alone.
PLANT INFORMATION
Horticulturist: Dean Dietrich
Container Plants:
SNAKE PLANT | Dracaena zeylandica
JAPANESE MEADOWSWEET | Spiraea japonica ‘NCSX1’ Double Play® Candy Corn®
PERSIAN SHIELD | Strobilanthes dyerianus
MILLION BELLS | Calibrachoa Aloha® Kona Dark Red
WINDMILL PALM | Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Taylor’
Fountain Bed Plants:
URN PLANT | Aechmea ‘Red Candles’
ELEPHANT EAR | Alocasia ‘Dark Star’
LANTANA | Lantana camara ‘Balucyell’ Landmark™ Yellow
SAGE | Salvia × hybrida ‘BBSAL09001’ Rockin’® Deep Purple
ANGEL WINGS | Caladium bicolor ‘Burning Heart’ Heart to Heart®
WEEPING BROWN SEDGE | Carex flagellifera ‘’Toffee Twist’
ZINNIA | Zinnia elegans ‘Magellan Orange’
ORNAMENTAL PEPPER | Capsicum annuum ‘Black Pearl’
SYMBOLISM
Pyramid: Human striving for knowledge, evolving upwards
Staircase: The effort of evolution, life path, a journey, a quest
Portal: Purpose, destination, threshold of self-knowledge, meeting the others on the journey
Mirrored Reflective Material: Self-reflection, self-knowledge, yet also a reflection of the people and world around you
Hammered Material: The evidence of shared steps of the journey
Arc: The trajectory of your personal journey, your story arc, the path emerging from source and returning to source
Carving Patterns: The power of writing your intention, having a sense of purpose, the directed energy of striving to connect to something larger than yourself, and leaving a positive mark on the world
Water and Fountain: Vital energy, Life Force flowing through all things, the cycle of life emerging from source and returning to source
REFLECTIONS
1. As you walk your own path, what is your sense of purpose that drives you forward?
2. When is it important to walk your own path, and when do you need to walk with others?
3. Imagine that a higher, future version of yourself is beckoning you forward on your life’s path. What words of encouragement are they giving you?
Source Code
Location: Terraced Lawn Near Conservatory
Source Code focuses on the relations between the power and grandeur of human achievement, and the ultimate power of Mother Earth. It acknowledges that our existence relies on the bounty of Earth’s resources. The ultimate source code, it seems, is not found in technological code; but rather in the vast resources of the plants, animals, earth, air, and waters that support our interdependent existence.
PLANT INFORMATION
Horticulturist: Dean Dietrich
ANDORRA JUNIPER | Juniperus horizontalis ‘Plumosa’
WEEPING BIRCH | Betula pendula ‘Youngii’
FRINGE FLOWER | Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum ‘Darkfire’
PASSIONFLOWER VINE | Passiflora ‘Sunburst’
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Symbolism
Pyramid: Human striving and invention, humanity’s quest to connect to a divine energy, ancient architecture, the quest for knowledge
Keystone of Plants: The Earth’s resources, the vital source code of all life that holds us in balance (plants have been chosen by the Garden's Horticulture team in collaboration with the Artist)
Patterns Circuitry: The symbols of computer engineering, modern human progress, as translated into ancient-meets-future patterns
Altar of Water: The precious natural world at the center of human progress (the altar can also function as a birdbath)
Water: Flow; the Life Force of all things
Light Inside and Above the Altar: The animating life force of Nature
Light in the Pyramid: The inner fire driving human progress, and the ghost in the machine of technological progress
SYMBOLISM
Pyramid: Human striving and invention, humanity’s quest to connect to a divine energy, ancient architecture, the quest for knowledge
Keystone of Plants: The Earth’s resources, the vital source code of all life that holds us in balance (plants have been chosen by the Garden’s Horticulture team in collaboration with the Artist)
Patterns Circuitry: The symbols of computer engineering, modern human progress, as translated into ancient-meets-future patterns
Altar of Water: The precious natural world at the center of human progress (the altar can also function as a birdbath)
Water: Flow; the Life Force of all things
Light Inside and Above the Altar: The animating life force of Nature
Light in the Pyramid: The inner fire driving human progress, and the ghost in the machine of technological progress
REFLECTIONS
1. When was the last time you made a conscious effort to be out in nature, fully unplugged, with no cell phones or devices at hand? How did you feel?
2. Have a look at the human-manufactured world around you. What plant, animal, mineral, or other natural resource are these objects in your world derived from?
3. What do we need to change in order to hold human progress in balance with the finite resources of the Earth? How can you start with taking action yourself?
4. We need the resources of the Earth to survive. Does the Earth need humanity?
Seed of Self
Location: Streb Conifer Garden
From this seat in the now, you gaze into the mandala of the past and recall the traces of your life lived up to this point. Memories full of complexity, patterns of choices, seeds of action planted and grown down paths taken and not taken. Visualize the light of curiosity, passion, ideals and human relationships of your life leading up to this moment now. And there, reflecting in its center, is an orb containing both the witness and creator of this present moment: you.
You are seated in a garden, on a bench, on the edge of now, in the framework of the future of your life yet to be lived. This framework is a trellis on which to nurture the growth of opportunity and possibility.
Time, and what you do with it, is at the root of this Seed of Self. This space is intended to become an energetic focal point for meditation, and a mandala of personal meaning and direction.
PLANT INFORMATION
Horticulturist: Elizabeth Fogel
HOSTA | Hosta ‘Blue Angel’
OSTRICH FERN | Onoclea struthiopteris ‘The King’
REX BEGONIA | Begonia ‘Escargot’
REX BEGONIA VINE | Cissus discolor
SYMBOLISM
Seed: A symbol of potential energy and growth
Reflective Orb: A symbol of your inner self, the witness and creator of your life, a meditation tool for self-reflection
Seat: A place in the Now to meditate and reflect on the past, the present, and the future
Finished Seed of Self Hemisphere: The cumulative experiences of your past
Unfinished Seed of Self Hemisphere: The framework of the future of your life
Light: Your inner light, your life force energy
REFLECTIONS
1. What is your favorite way to meditate? How does meditation help you feel present in the now?
2. When you think of your past what are 3 guiding principles you have lived by to get to this moment?
3. What are you most excited about when you think of the future? What is one small step you can take this week that will get you there?
Breaking Point
Location: Flagler Garden Near Monet Bridge
Conceived in 2020, this sculpture attempts to capture the spirit of transformation in a year that shook the world. In the wave of global uncertainty, fear of the pandemic, and distrust of power structures, so many around the world felt they were at their breaking point. This was experienced personally, socially, politically, with our concepts of justice and racial understanding at a critical inflection point. Our collective health, both mental and physical, cried out for healing.
This sculpture is a symbol of evolving through struggle. The spears are a symbol of courage and facing fears head-on, trusting that you will find the light in the darkness.
How we heal and how we transform through life’s challenges shapes profound ways. The end of something is also a beginning. Change is evolution.
PLANT INFORMATION
Horticulturist: Megan Lacey
NARANJILLA | Solanum quitoense
FLAX | Phormium ‘Black Rage’
CUSHION SPURGE | Euphorbia epithymoides ‘Bonfire’
SYMBOLISM
Portal: A threshold of change and evolution
Omega Symbol: Closure, finality, the end (the last letter of the Greek alphabet)
Silhouette of Human: Identity, society, self
Arrow/Spear: Struggle, conflict, a catalyst, a direction, moving forward, courage
Pathway: The way through, the journey ahead
Light Inside Arrow Tips: Evolution through struggle, a beacon, finding light in the darkness to guide your way forward, hope, courage, inner light
REFLECTIONS
1. How have your challenges shaped you into a stronger and wiser person?
2. What is the importance of courage?
3. What good people have you met through shared struggle?
Ancestors
Location: Flagler Garden Lawn
This portal creates a symbolic passage that oscillates from form to formless, defining the invisible energy that we leave behind when we dematerialize from this physical plane of existence.
If physics tells us that matter and energy cannot be destroyed, but only change form, then the transition to a non-material presence might merely be a return to that crucible of energy, reintroducing spirit into a vast web of intergenerational resonance that flows through all things.
It is in our memory that we can hold those we love, carrying them with us, feeling the energetic echo of their presence created in the wake of their departure. We honor them by keeping their memory alive, and living a life of integrity to pass on to future generations.
PLANT INFORMATION
Horticulturist: Megan Lacey
CUSHION SPURGE | Euphorbia epithymoides ‘Bonfire’
NORTHERN LADY FERN | Athyrium angustum ‘Lady in Red’
LEAVENWORTH’S SEDGE | Carex leavenworthii
DRACAENA | Cordyline cv.
BEAR’S BREECHES | Acanthus ‘Summer Beauty’
SYMBOLISM
Portal: Threshold of transition
Circle: Continuity, wholeness
Energy Waves: Shared DNA, shared lineage, interwoven history, human and spiritual presence
Silhouette: Physical absence but energetic presence, memory of loved ones
Mirrored Figure: The Universal Ancestor, the presence of one’s self as a reflection of the Ancestor in the present moment
Hammered Reflection: The multitudes of life, reflected by each of our existences
Heart-centered Portal: Flowing Life Force energy, memory, love
Light: Spirit of presence and continuity, memory, love
REFLECTIONS
1. How much do you know about your ancestry?
2. How do you honor your family’s legacy in the present day?
3. How do you see yourself on the continuum of your ancestry?
4. What is the contribution that you are making in your timeline for future generations?
What materials are used in Incanto?
INCANTO MAIN MATERIALS
Corten/ Weathering Steel: This steel is designed to rust. Its rugged look is an intentional character of the design and will change and deepen in color with time, when exposed to the outdoor elements.
Stainless Steel: This metal is used in mirror finish, hammered finish and a hand-applied blackened patina finish. It is also the material of the reflecting orb inside Seed of Self.
Bronze: This golden material is used as sanded material, hammered material, and with a hand-applied darkened patina.
INCANTO ACCENT MATERIALS
Glass: Sand, blasted patterned glass is featured in the central altar/birdbath of Source Code.
Wood: Reclaimed redwood from a former New York City water tower is used as the bench inside Seed of Self.
Resin: 3D-printed clear resin is used to create the spear tips featured in Breaking Point. These spear tips are not sharp. They are also positioned to meet ADA complaint doorway dimensions.
Aluminum: This lightweight metal is used as the side arcs of the stairs featured in Resonant Passage.
LED Lighting: Low voltage LED lighting has been custom designed and built to illuminate each sculpture within. The illuminated artworks reveal a different facet of character and feeling of the Incanto artworks when experiencing the sculptures at night. The sculpture’s discovery in the darkness is intended to create a magical experience. The surreal, otherworldly quality of the lighting design aims to create a beckoning sense of presence, mystery, and adds to the layered, allegorical meaning of the artworks. In this way we hope that guests to the garden to see Incanto will return again to experience the show during the day and night.
Follow the Creative Process
Work-in-Progress on Social Media
The artists are creating the exhibit especially for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. We’ll share their work-in-progress with exclusive content in the months leading up to the show’s debut. We invite you on the journey as these two artists create an experience specially designed for you.
- Instagram @LewisGinter
- Facebook @LewisGinter
- Twitter @LewisGinter
Meet the Artists
Kate Raudenbush and Sha Michele
Kate Raudenbush (left) and Sha Michele (right) began collaborating at Burning Man after meeting there in 2000, and later creating Raudenbush’s first sculpture for the 2004 event. Kate has since become known for large-scale, allegorical works in laser-cut steel that form immersive, high-concept, experiential spaces for human connection. In her poems and art, Sha Michele draws on her African-American, Native American and European ancestry to address questions of heritage, cultural definitions, longing, and belonging.
Kate Raudenbush is an award-winning sculpture artist who emerged out of the creative vanguard of Burning Man to exhibit her work widely in the U.S. and internationally at art fairs, civic squares, arts festivals, galleries and museums. She has forged a creative path in Seoul, Amsterdam and Tulum, to Hollywood, Montreal and Washington, D.C. Poet Sha Michele has storied experience as a former actress and designer in Los Angeles, working with Spike Lee, Jamie Foxx and Gita Salem, in addition to her talent as an internationally exhibited designer of exotic, nature-inspired, totemic jewelry. Both artists incorporate a range of cultures, symbols and mythology in their work. They are thrilled to bring this thought-provoking, dynamic exhibit to the greater Richmond community.
Instagram: @KateRaudenbush and @ShaMicheleArts
Plan your Virginia visit and see all there is to do in the Richmond Region, including attractions, lodging dining, shopping and more. The Richmond Downtown Marriott makes an excellent home base.
Membership Includes Unlimited Incanto Visits
Become a member and you can enjoy all of the Incanto excitement and events for one low price.