"Botanicals" by Laurie Tennent
Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum Will Host Botanicals by Laurie Tennent
The Jo Anne and Donald Petersen Sculpture Garden at the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum will be the setting for Bloomfield Hills artist Laurie Tennent’s stunning photographs of botanicals. Nine large photographs will be on display in the garden from June 22 – September 30, 2017.
Laurie Tennent Botanicals provides a new dimension for exploring sculpture in the garden. The show participates in and intersects with the ever-changing landscape. The photographs capture precise, exquisite detail and expose what is often missed or dismissed. Some images blend seamlessly into the environment, while others truly stand out, bringing the viewer close and personal with the intricacies of nature. Tennent’s work is represented in galleries and museums across North American and Europe.
The artist utilizes a striking shallow depth of field and no electronic alteration. Some pieces are nearly eight feet in length. Brilliant colors against the dark surface create a dramatic multi-dimensional image. The garden context, altered and augmented by the “placement of the images,” triggers dramatic reactions from viewers of all ages. It quietly reveals a delicate sensuality allowing the spectator to be submerged in the massive blooms and inner architecture of plant life.
“Complexity of character, masculine and feminine, intimate yet bold, sensual yet strong. My photographs are an exploration of these dualities. By exaggerating the architecture of plant life, and ‘planting’ the image back into the garden, the installation offers the viewer a chance to at once become confronted by and immersed in nature,” explains Laurie Tennent.
The exhibition is sponsored by William and Sue Vititoe of Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is located on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (989) 964-7125 or visit the Museum’s website at