FAAAC presents Topiary Workshop with Mike Gibson: Black Art Through Horticulture

Spend an afternoon on Boyd Plaza with Mike Gibson, topiary artist-in-residence at the University of South Carolina. Gibson instructs, informs, and inspires by discussing his 20 years of experience, the story of his mentor and renowned topiary artist Pearl Fryar of Bishopville, South Carolina, and the meditational aspects of working with nature. All materials and museum entry included. After the workshop, enjoy a social hour featuring a specialty Tito’s cocktail. Sponsored by Love, Tito’s. $50 / $40 for members. 

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Like Pearl Fryar, Mike Gibson began his artistry with the shrubs and trees in his own community. For over six years, Gibson made Youngstown, Ohio, his canvas and dedicated 330 (representing the zip code) topiaries throughout the community to improve its beautification. In 2016 Gibson sought Fryar’s wisdom and training, and after their first meeting, he made a yearly pilgrimage to spend time with Fryar while perfecting his own topiary skills. Gibson has been featured on Clipped (2021, HGTV’s six-week reality topiary competition), contributed topiary design for Pamela Council’s public artwork A Fountain for Survivors in New York’s Times Square, and is now continuing Bishopville’s topiary artistry.

^{Photo credit: Lamar Sykes}