Sculpture Exhibit at the Gardens

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens partners with the Arts Council of Mendocino County to present this biennial exhibition of sculptures placed throughout the Gardens. This outdoor exhibit features the work of primarily California artists. Artwork purchased through the exhibit benefits the Gardens and the Arts Council. Artists generously contribute 40% of all proceeds to the two nonprofits. When you purchase a sculpture, you are sustaining creativity as a source of livelihood as well as supporting our beautiful Gardens and the Arts Council.

All sculptures in this exhibit are for sale; contact the Gardens' administrative offices for more information at administration@gardenbythesea.org or call 707-964-4352 ext. 113. 

2025-2027 Featured Art
Sales tax (7.875% Mendocino County; subject to change) and delivery fee not included in the price

Mariposa Kinetic, Mark Oldland
$2,900

Stainless steel, aluminum and concrete; 11’7” tall x 5’ x 28” wide
Location: Perennial Garden

The kinetic pieces I’ve built are meant to move somewhat unpredictably. Patterns emerge after watching them for a while. A friend & fellow artist told me this design reminded her of a butterfly. Indeed, me too. 
That’s when it acquired color and the “eyes” of a butterfly. I’m prone to calling them flutterbys rather than the prevalent name.

Jackrabbit, Nate Scott
$5,250

Upcycled metal, including gears, wrenches, lamp base, ornamental iron, automotive paint, and clear lacquer; 36" x 27" x 48"
Location: Perennial Garden

Jackrabbit captures the energy and agility of its namesake in mid-leap—an elongated form bounding through the grass with lightness and speed. Crafted entirely from upcycled metal, the sculpture blends motion and material, transforming discarded fragments into a symbol of vitality, wildness, and the beauty of reclaimed life.

Buddha's Hand, Jill Peterson
$1,900

Ceramic with enamel paint; 22" tall x 35" wide
Location: Succulent Garden

My work is inspired by the forms, lines, and colors I find both in my garden and the natural world around me.  This sculpture was created after I spent time examining and handling the citrus fruit Buddha’s hand.  I was dazzled by its unique structure and hues as it ripens from green to yellow.  These observations guided my own interpretation of the fruit’s form, texture and colors reflected in this sculpture.    
 

Peas de Resistance, Sebastien Dery
$5,000

Italian marble; 35" tall x 10" wide x 10" deep
Location: Mediterranean Garden 

"Peas de Resistance" is a whimsical twist on quiet defiance—a marble sculpture that turns something as simple as a pea pod into a symbol of resilience. The smooth forms curl upward like arms in protest, cradling their tiny spheres with purpose. In uncertain times, it’s a reminder that strength doesn’t always shout—sometimes it grows quietly, tucked in small, insubordinate places. As Rilke wrote, “everything is gestation and then bringing forth”—even a pea holds the potential to split stone. Playful in form, Peas de Resistance whispers that gentleness, too, is a force.

Black Bolete, Peter Baker
$5,500

Mendocino cypress; 3’ tall x 3' wide
Location: North Forest

Periwinkle Rime, Ian Wieczorek
$2,000

Ceramic, glaze; 45" x 18" x 18"
Location: Meadow Lawn

My work as a ceramic artist is deeply rooted in a fascination with the natural world and its cycles of growth and decay. My material practice is centered around large-scale sculptures, that push boundaries of size, form, and traditions of making in clay. I use a press mold to create textured slabs which are attached together to construct forms that evoke both the foreign and the familiar. The textures I create resemble snow-capped mountains, snow build-up on trees, and a deep network of mycelium that is leading the front line of exploration. These ceramic sculptures stand as totems, honoring and attempting to make concrete the beauty, complexity, and subliminality of the natural world that connects all life. The ritual of bringing together elemental materials like clay, wood, and fire, activated through the collaboration of many hours, labor, and artists, is a vital component of my work, speaking not only to the final work, but to a significant artistic process where people come together.

Whorl, Sonya Popow
$3,800

Ceramic; 16" tall x 48" wide x 16"deep
Location: Fuchsia Dell

Quetzalcoatl, Clayton Thiel   
$5,500

Ceramic; 56" tall x 18" wide x 17" deep sold with pedestal
Location: Fort Bragg Rhododendron Collection

We Are All Made of Star Dust, Wendell Rickon
SOLD

Redwood, local beach pebbles; 74" tall x 10" wide x 2" deep
Location: Narrows

Found, and therefore free materials, are a signature of most of my creations, and this sculpture (my first attempt at a large piece) follows that pattern. The wooden plank comes from the repair of the Pudding Creek Bridge, the colorful stones were collected from local Mendocino beaches, and the base is broken stepping stones salvaged from the local hardware store.

Knot, Wendell Rickon
$775

COMING SOON...

Various woods; 74" tall x 10" wide x 2" deep
Location: Narrows

Armin, Rogelio Morales
$4,000

Fiberglass reinforced concrete, structural foam, stainless steel wire; 50" tall x 26" wide x 18" deep
Location: Brooding Hawk Trail leading to the Vegetable Garden

A sock puppet can be a simple object that can be fashioned in minutes with minimal effort. Once made, it can create a world of its own in the imagination of the puppeteer.

Armin is made from fiber-reinforced cast concrete and took around two years to make. The sock texture comes from a hand-knitted sock, which I commissioned for this project.

Tidal Wave, Diego Harris
$14,000

Corten steel sheeting welded over an internal structure of steel rebar; 9' tall x 5.8' wide x 3.5' deep
Location: Dahlia Garden

Green Man, Nate Scott
$24,575

Cast bronze head, steel structure, stamped ornamental iron leaves, forged steel branches, scorched oak barrel staves, bronze coating with patina, clear lacquer; 10' tall, 5' 6" wide, 3' deep
Location: South Trail between the Event Lawn and the Bluffs

Inspired by the enigmatic stone carvings found in medieval Gothic cathedrals, Green Man embodies the spirit of the forest. This 10-foot-tall figure, crafted from metal and wood, appears hunched forward in a posture of reverence or emergence. Its outstretched arms, shaped like branching limbs, reach skyward—evoking growth, transformation, and the enduring connection between humanity and nature.

View Past Exhibits of the sculpture gallery.