When Stacey Champion, co-founder of Treeo, needed an art show to accompany Phoenix’ 7th annual PARK(ing) Day, she decided to organize “Outside Inside.”
The show features the living plant artwork of both Joe Zazzera, of Plant Solutions, and Michael Lanier, of The Bosque. Their work highlights a connection to nature that Champion believes is something people do not get enough of in urban communities.
“It’s a way to both highlight two people who are using the medium of nature in a really cool way, but also setting up an exhibition in a gallery space that I don’t think you see very often,” Champion said.
PARK(ing) Day was started 10 years ago by Rebar, a San Francisco studio, as a day to reimagine how public urban space is used. It has since spread across the world, occurring on the third Friday in September. This is Phoenix’ seventh year participating.
Joe Zazzera’s work showcases framed moss art and one living wall. Plant Solutions was established in 1981, when Zazzera was a young father with a passion for plants. Though he’s now the lead designer at his company, he still works with a team.
“It’s a group production,” Zazzera said. “I create things and design things but I’ll have them help create it with me. It isn’t a one-man show.”
While he has always worked with moss in his designs, it was not until the past 5 years that he started using it as a focus piece. Typically, Plant Solutions designs and installs living walls and plants in commercial and residential settings.
Michael Lanier’s piece has a different style. His art will be more of a hanging garden, which he calls a “string garden.” The 15-20 pieces will consist mainly of plants that you would not typically see in Phoenix, such as tropical or forest items, as a “way to breathe after summer.” He even included a tomato plant to focus on the potential of growing food inside.
Lanier, who has only been in the plant-art world for about a year, got his start creating plant art to sell at farmers’ markets.
“I wasn’t doing it as an artistic thing as much as a ‘catch your eye’ thing,” he said.
It was an adjustment creating work for a gallery setting because the individual pieces of plant art must work together, not just on their own, Lanier said.
All of his work is organic besides than the occasional copper item, such as a nail — even the twine is a hemp. Lanier tries to keep his living art as easy to care for as possible, with most plants only needing watering about twice a week. But the nature of the material can make it unpredictable.
“Because they are organic, the goal is to make them beautiful and fall apart again,” Lanier said.
Both artists hope their art will inspire people to feel more in touch with nature.
“People love being surrounded by nature … they’ll feel very centered and balanced and connected,” Zazzera said.
Lanier in particular wants the living art to reach the desert residents who don’t see greenery often.
“I think it’s especially relevant in a place like Phoenix where it’s so dry and so barren, especially coming out of summer. So I hope that someone gets inspired knowing that something weird can live here, that if you do want to grow something you really can,” he said.
The gallery will be open from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, September 18. “Outside Inside” will run through October 12 at Treeo, located at 906 N. 6th St.
Contact the reporter at Kara.Carlson@asu.edu
