URBANA, Ill. — Nature at the Red Oak Rain Garden celebrates autumn with the bright purples of blooming aster flowers, a mosaic of tree leaves drifting slowly to the ground, and the nighttime chorus of insects and owls as twilight settles in. This October, the “Illuminating Art in Nature” exhibit connects art, nature, and sustainability in a celebration of the season. 

A new temporary University of Illinois sustainable art exhibit will be displayed on the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus at the Red Oak Rain Garden from Oct. 29-31. It will include curated sculptures made by art students with natural materials and jack-o’-lanterns carved by residents of nearby Allen Hall. It is also an opportunity to encourage visitors to adopt sustainable practices in their own fall festivities. 

Students from the School of Art & Design were invited to explore childhood memories and nostalgia through the project’s theme of Ephemeral Experiences by creating 16 sculptures made of biodegradable materials, including leaves and twigs. Art curation students gained practical experience arranging the environmentally responsible exhibit. 

“Sustainable autumn traditions are something anyone can celebrate,” said Eliana Brown, water quality and stormwater specialist with University of Illinois Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. “The Red Oak Rain Garden is already a place of inspiration, and this exhibit harmonizes art with the natural setting, providing a meaningful, environmentally conscious experience for the campus and community.” 

Allen Hall residents who are part of the Unit One arts-immersive living-learning community will carve pumpkins with designs inspired by the native plants and wildlife that benefit from the rain garden. The lit jack-o’-lanterns will line the garden from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 29-30. 

Staff will be onsite sharing information about the exhibit, how to host a sustainable event, and how to make seasonal celebrations zero waste. Any organic waste from the pumpkins and sculptures will be composted or converted into energy through the university’s Grind2Energy program. The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment has endorsed this exhibit as a Certified Green event. 

This fall, consider decorating with natural materials, such as gourds and cornstalks, that can be composted. Illinois Extension Pumpkin Smash events provide an opportunity to drop off pumpkins and keep them out of landfills, where they create greenhouse gases as they decompose. Fall-blooming native plants, such as asters and goldenrod, can be added to your home landscape to provide food for pollinators. Illinois is the top pumpkin producer in the U.S., so buy locally if possible. 

Find details about the garden art exhibit at go.illinois.edu/2024RORGExhibit. For more information, contact Eliana Brown at brown12@illinois.edu. The students are from the School of Art & Design courses Art Studio 252 and Art Education 475, led by teaching assistant professors Lindsey Stirek and Somi Lee. An exhibit about the creation process will be Oct. 21-25 in Gallery 3 at the Art and Design Building, 408 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign. 

The Red Oak Rain Garden is a 10,000-square-foot demonstration landscape that prevents flooding on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and is managed by Illinois Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant staff. The garden’s ground cover of more than 9,000 native plants acts as a small-scale wetland, absorbing and filtering up to 27,000 gallons of rainwater runoff instead of allowing it to overwhelm sewer systems and contribute to flooding. It also provides wildlife habitat, connects the community with green spaces, and demonstrates sustainable landscape design.

Explore more about rainfall management at extension.illinois.edu/rainfall-management. To stay up to date, subscribe to the Red Oak Rain Garden newsletter and follow the garden on  Facebook, Instagram, or X. 

SOURCE: Eliana Brown, water quality and stormwater specialist, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Illinois Extension