In ‘secret garden’ art installation, dead plants appear to ‘dance back to life’

Carol Jazzar’s latest art installation is inspiring, experiential, and meditative.

It’s in her home’s garage studio, where a year ago she decided to collect and save dead seeds, pods, fronds and other materials from her garden.

“It’s a highly visual environment that carries a smell — the smell of the earth, and a warmth — the warmth of Nature,” Jazzar said. There is no a/c.

“It carries the quietness of the inner space, as inside, everything is organized and aligned.”

Jazzar, who is French American, said she had no plan in mind and let the plants guide her.

After several months of working on it, she opened the installation to friends and colleagues.

Now, “Last Call New Glory” is open for the public to experience, 1-5 p.m., Nov. 26 at 158 NW 91 St. in El Portal near Miami Shores. It is free with no appointment necessary.

“It came organically when I was working in the garden, weeding and cleaning, and came across a piece that I found beautiful or unusual or strange in a good way — a piece that perhaps recalled a tribal past, tribal memories of a past I haven’t experienced in this lifetime,” Jazzar said.

“It combines my studio practice of collage/assemblage with that which I do outside with Nature. Everything is organic. Despite push pins, screws, nails, finishing wire, and the couple of reclaimed Styrofoam boards on the floor, everything is made with natural elements. No polluting materials.”

After her visit, Jazzar’s friend Danielle Goodman wrote “that to get to where the studio sits in the artist’s garden, you need to walk along a leaf-strewn path with thick green stems and immense elephant-ears. The studio is white and the leaves, pods, shells, seeds, and stems were silver, brown, black, and golden-brown. The only color in the room was from two red-red seeds within a shock of thatch, like eyes in a natural mask.”

Another visitor was writer and editor Anne Tschida who called the barn-like space “a secret garden tucked away in the tropically humid environs of Miami, a place where dead plants dance back to life.”

Before fully dedicating her time to her current practices, Jazzar ran a contemporary art gallery out of the garage where she said she showed many local and national artists including Jen Stark, Farley Aguilar, David Rohn, Shoshanna Weinberger and Ronny Quevedo.

She has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, Girls Club Collection in Fort. Lauderdale, Miami Design District, Miami-Dade Public Library, and the Deering Estate, as well as at private galleries and artist-run alternative spaces. Her work is part of the collections of the Miami-Dade Public Library, Miami International Airport, Related Group, Girl’s Club and private collections.

Jazzar’s hope is that her installation will help visitors “recall the sublime, a beauty or a feeling we cannot name or describe.”

“An inner chapel. When we are inside, we are alive but surrounded by dead organic elements. Juxtaposition of these two states of being. Perhaps this can prompt us to be more alive, more conscious of our life experience,” she said.

“It’s called ‘Last Call’ because these plants and organic elements are on their last stretch. They’re already dead. Yet, ‘New Glory’ because once re-arranged, once repurposed, these dead pieces find a new life, a new glory, in being shown in a different context. They are as beautiful and as powerful as before when they were alive. But in this way, they are dignified, perhaps even magnified.”

The installation will be up to visit by appointment until Dec. 17. Call or text 305-490-6906, or send email to caroljazzar@mac.com

Eleven join Gables High Hall of Fame

Coral Gables High School inducted the latest members into its esteemed Hall of Fame at an event hosted by Friends of Gables High. June Thomson Morris was chair of the group that arranged the auditorium ceremony with a luncheon afterwards at the Coral Gables Woman’s Club.

The traditional public high school at 450 Bird Road has a remarkable roster of graduates that includes astronauts, admirals, world-acclaimed scientists, top national attorneys, politicians at the highest levels of government, best-selling authors, famous actors, and Grammy-award winning musicians.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2023 includes Dr. Mitchel S. Berger ’70, Rear Admiral Keith Davids ’86, Dr. Lillian Glass ’70, Judge Paul C. Huck ’58, Ted Leopold ’76, Jeff Oster ’75, Paul Steinhardt ’70, Admiral William “Bill” Studeman ’58, and Dr. Michael Zinner ’63.

Friends of Gables High, the alumni and community group that sponsors Gables’ Hall of Fame, also honored two Gables educators who have made significant contributions to the school.

They are Dan Finora, who has served as a counselor at Gables High for more than 60 years, and Alberta Jones, who taught there for more than 30 years, serving as Co-Department Chair of Language Arts and was Teacher of the Year. Honoree bios are at www.friendsofgableshigh.org

Nicole Henry concert is Dec. 5

Award-winning vocalist Nicole Henry will celebrate The Divas at her 10^th benefit concert. There will be holiday music too, and the event raises funds for SAVE, the presenting host, and The Miami Music Project.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m., Dec. 5, at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Tickets are $35 and $60. A VIP ticket is $125 and includes a reception at 6 p.m. Buy at www.tinyurl.com/NH2023WinterConcert More at www.nicolehenry.com or 305-674-1040.

Since 1993, SAVE Foundation has advocated for equal rights for persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Miami Music Project, active since 2009, is a model for music education with its free after-school programming.

Holiday House Tour is Dec. 9

This year marks the 38th year The Villagers have offered the holiday house tour. The upcoming “100 Years of History” will showcase Coral Gables homes built in 1923. Of special interest, will be the Merrick House, decorated for Christmas and hosted by volunteer docents.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dec. 9. Ticket holders drive their own vehicles and will receive tour directions with their purchase of $65. Visit https://thevillagersinc.org/.

Proceeds support the preservation and protection of local historic sites. Also at the Merrick House, look for a boutique with artisans selling handmade and vintage items. A Rita Tennyson pop-up café will also be on-site with food for purchase.

Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.