NWSSA Participates in the Northwest Flower & Garden Show Jan/Feb 1997

The Northwest Stone Sculptors Association and Richard Hestekind have teamed up to create a sculpture garden and courtyard for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. Guests will experience the power that stone and metal sculptures radiate when placed in a garden setting designed to do them justice. Guests will walk along a stone path, through a landscape of beautiful plants and trees. They will pass a reflecting pool on their journey to experience a contemplative courtyard, where the clean, cool water in a stone fountain flows, waiting to soothe their weary souls.

The Northwest Flower & Garden show is an annual event that averages sales of fifteen thousand tickets a day during the five day event. For the last six years the NWSSA has excited the public with information and sculpture at their educational booth on the sixth floor of the Washington State Convention Center. Tracy Powell is the coordinator of the exhibit this year. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to educate the general public about stone sculpture design, placement, and materials. Artists will take turns at the booth, speaking to the public about their personal vision and that of the NWSSA.

Richard Hestekind is the designer and driving force behind the NWSSA Garden Display. Steve Sandry is assisting him. 1997 will be the third year NWSSA has been invited by the Flower & Garden Show coordinators to create a garden, that has an emphasis on combining sculpture with landscape design.

NWSSA members send a big thank you to Rich Hestekind. It is due to his talents as a landscape designer, and his loyalty to NWSSA, that we have this opportunity to educate the public in such a dramatic manner. NWSSA also thanks the approximately twenty-five artists who have loaned us sculpture for the garden and educational booth displays.

Richard Hestekind extends his personal thanks to Marenakos for supplying the garden stone, Landscape Design Center for the specimen trees and shrubs, and Meredith Earls for her excellent work on the brochures and publicity for this event. Tracy Powell and Rich Hestekind also acknowledge the NWSSA volunteers for their work on creating the booth and the garden. Without their creativity, organization, and hard physical labor, this event would not happen.

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show will run from Wednesday, February 5th, through Sunday, February 9th. Show hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 9:00 am to 9:30 pm, and Sunday, 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. We hope to see you there.