Oehme, van Sweden & Associates
Wolfgang Oehme
James van Sweden
This commission was of considerable importance to both the firm and the client. Barbara Whitney Carr, retired president of the Chicago Botanic Garden, recalled, “The design of Evening Island and the Gardens of the Great Basin were at the very heart of the garden both literally and symbolically.” Moreover, “the view [to be created] … was to be an iconic vista.”[1]
After van Sweden’s presentation for the project, in which he said he was inspired by the colors and composition of the painting Nature Abhors a Vacuum by Helen Frankenthaler, an artist beloved by the project’s lead patron, Pleasant Rowland, Carr said, “We knew this man understood our vision, knew he could create something we could only dream of, and that NOTHING could make him happier than to do it for us.” She added: “Now when Chicago Botanic Garden visitors look out toward Evening Island, they see a classic New American Garden landscape.”[2]
The gardens were dedicated in 2002. The public has been wild about them ever since. There have been many imitators since, but Jim’s originality continues to shine through.[2]<