By Tonya Jameson Photos courtesy of ZimSculpt
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frican art returns to the Charlotte area when ZimSculpt, the African art exhibition, returns to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in May. The exhibition drew 19,000 people to the garden, located just south of Charlotte in Belmont, last year. ZimSculpt will display 100 new Shona sculptures from Zimbabwe against a tropical backdrop in the garden. The exhibition also includes an African art and jewelry marketplace. “We are excited about the entire collection,” said ZimSculpt co-founder Vivienne Croisette. Sculptures will be available to purchase. There will be 200300 small to medium pieces for sale this year. Artist Passmore Mupindiko returns, accompanied by leading spring stone sculptor Aron Kapembeza. Sculptors will be on-site daily, sculpting, demonstrating and discussing their work. Croisette and her husband Joseph founded ZimSculpt more than a decade ago. They will be on-site to give guided tours and discuss the art movement. Translated from the Karanga dialect of the Shona language, Zimbabwe means “great house of stone.” The sculptures range from small hand-held figurines to giant totems. Some depict representations of everyday life, such as women caring for children, bathing and collecting water. Others depict nature, such as organic forms, flowers and leaves, birds and other animals. The couple represents 200 artisans in Zimbabwe. The Croisettes travel the country to select sculptures for exhibition and sale worldwide. They have exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show in the United Kingdom, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Ontario and the Naples Botanical Garden in Florida. Last year, the Charlotte exhibit seemed to create a greater connection among viewers with Africa and Zimbabwe. Guests discovered many different connections to Zimbaweans, some of whom now make the Charlotte area home. P
May-June 2015 | Pride Magazine
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