Minnie Evans

Colourful and intricate collage featuring floral, human, and ornamental forms.

Minnie Evans, Untitled [Visionary Garden Design]. 1960–1968, oil and paper collage on canvas board. Gift of Brenda F. and Joseph V. Smith, Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, 2003.11.

In this colorful mixed-media collage, Minnie Evans conjures a garden paradise replete with lush vegetation, floral motifs, and fantastic figures. Born and raised in a deeply religious community, Evans began making art after feeling called upon by God to draw the elaborate visions that she had experienced since childhood. She produced her visionary garden designs while working as a gatekeeper at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina, a sixty-seven acre garden renowned for its azaleas, magnolias, and wisteria. Evans regularly drew and painted in the open air, drawing inspiration from her rich floral surroundings. The family that owned the gardens also allowed Evans to study their collection of artworks, including Chinese and Persian carpets, the influence of which can be detected in the interlacing forms and symmetrical composition of works like this one.