In the Night Garden

December 22, 2020–December 12, 2021
First floor

Immerse yourself in a colorful botanical world full of giant insects, flowers, and plants created by Houston–based artist and Rice University professor Natasha Bowdoin. Inspired by the Carter’s collection and the artist’s abounding interest in literature, from fairytales to transcendental poetry, In the Night Garden defies the senses, offering us a moment to pause and reimagine our relationship to the natural world.

Headshot of artist Natasha Bowdoin.

Natasha Bowdoin (b.1981) poses within Sideways to the Sun, installation commissioned by the Moody Center for the Arts, Houston, TX, photo by Nash Baker

In the Night Garden draws together inspiration from the Carter’s 19th-century paintings, botanical prints, and archival materials with the artist’s broader interests, ranging from children’s book illustrations and Greco-Roman mythology to comic books and textile design. Created from cut paper and collaged boards, a large-scale installation made of buoyant yet looming oversized vegetation is accompanied by intricate watercolors that exude ecological fantasies and upend traditional feminine associations with botanical themes. Come and experience In the Night Garden, where you’ll embark on a journey into an uncanny world of nature’s unrelenting powers and mysteries.

Discover how artist Natasha Bowdoin created her immersive work In the Night Garden. Taking inspiration from botanical drawings in the Carter’s collection, In the Night Garden defies the senses, offering a moment to pause and reimagine our relationship to the natural world. Learn more about Bowdoin’s process to create the intricate and bold components for this surreal installation.

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Installation Photos

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Header Image Credit

Image: Natasha Bowdoin (b. 1981), In the Night Garden, paint on board with cut paper and vinyl, 2020, courtesy of Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas

In the Night Garden is organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. The exhibition is made possible with support from The Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation.