‘Rich Soil’ exhibit opens at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A new sculpture exhibit opened at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on Saturday. On Saturday, Jan. 18, the "Rich Soil" exhibit opened at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, featuring 29 life-size sculptures presented in seven groupings located in areas throughout the garden. The sculptures are created by artist Kristine Mays and are inspired by the movements of Alvin Ailey's dance composition, "Revelation," according to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. A sculpture in Kristine Mays' Rich Soil exhibit at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. (Photo courtesy: William Berksteiner, 8News)(Photo courtesy: William Berksteiner, 8News)(Photo courtesy: William Berksteiner, 8News) 8News spoke with Mays who said the sculptures were created as a celebration and acknowledgement of the ancestors. "I created this body of work to -- really out of a desire to honor people who have toiled the land and have spent their lives pouring their blood, sweat and tears into the land that we now consider America," Mays said. Mays said she noticed people who do jobs that build the foundation that everyone lives on often go unnoticed or unnamed. "So while the show is a tribute to the ancestors, it also speaks to the past and present, and even into the future," Mays said. As the exhibit has been traveling throughout the country, Mays said the context of the exhibit often changes depending on what city it is in. "This is the eighth location in the United States where it's traveled," Mays said. "It's very significant for it to be here in Richmond, Virginia -- to be in this place and space of the Confederacy." The Rich Soil exhibition will run at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden from Jan. 18 through March 9. The exhibit is included with garden admission and is free for members. For more information about the exhibit or to purchase tickets, visit the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's website.