Art in the Garden

The Year of the Healing Garden

2012 Art in the Garden Series

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more. 
- John Burroughs, American naturalist (1837-1921)

Throughout history, gardens have been regarded as a source of comfort and healing of mind and body for people in cultures around the world. The restorative qualities of nature are evident perhaps nowhere more beautifully than in the tranquil setting of the Portland Japanese Garden.

For almost half a century, the Portland Japanese Garden has served as a place of a refuge for members of this community in times of physical, mental, and emotional stress. Doctors reportedly have prescribed walks in the Garden to aid in the healing process for their patients. Visitors who have been ill or who are mourning the loss of a loved one speak of finding solace along the Garden’s comforting pathways.

Since the 1970s, health care professionals have studied gardens as an aid in the recovery of patients, their families, and caregivers. Today, healing gardens are being constructed in hospitals and rehabilitations centers around the U.S., including Legacy Emanuel and Legacy Good Samaritan Hospitals, as well as at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) here in Portland.

In 2012, the Garden will explore the role of gardens as places of healing through related exhibitions, guest lectures by horticultural therapists, experts from both Western and Eastern medical traditions, wellness programs, morning yoga sessions, and other activities.

Working with partners at Legacy Health, NCNM, and Yoga Pearl, the Garden will reach out to the whole community of wellness advocates, raising awareness of the Garden’s role as a wellness resource to extend our outreach to the community by exploring the many different benefits the Garden has to share.

April 6-29	Meditative Moments:     Tea Ceramics by Richard Milgrim and Paintings by Hiroshi Senju
June 8-July 1	Hiroshi Saito: Art that Heals
November 2-25	Bamboo Art: Meditation and Transformation

Art in the Garden:  Past Exhibitions

		Mottainai The Fabric of Life:  Lessons in Frugality from Traditional Japan Fall 2011
		Urban Green Small Trees for Small Spaces – Bonsai Summer 2011
		Come Back Koi! Spring 2011
		Katsura The Photographs of Ishimoto Yasuhiro Winter 2011 PDF format, 827 kb download
		Shihoko Fukumoto Indigo is the Color of My Dreams Fall 2010 PDF format, 1185 kb download
		From Damsels to Demons The Hidden Art of Netsuke Carving Summer 2010 PDF format, 935 kb download
		Deloss Webber Small Blessings in Bamboo and Stone Winter 2010 PDF format, 947 kb download
		The Bontei Tray Gardens of Marc Peter Keane Fall 2009 PDF format, 931 kb download
		Parallel Worlds Art of the Ainu of Hokkaido and Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest Summer 2009 PDF format, 1662 kb download
		Michihiro Kosuge The Quiet Voice of Metal & Stone Winter 2008 PDF format, 903 kb download
		Dream Weaver The Bamboo Art of Jiro Yonezawa Fall 2008 PDF format, 952 kb download
		Frozen Music Glass in the Garden Summer 2008 PDF format, 975 kb download
		Northern Lights Ceramic Art of Hokkaido Spring 2008 PDF format, 379 kb download