The Daffy Dill Garden Club has dedicated a sculpture in the William Jennings Bryan Statue Gardens.
Andy Crouch of Salem created the piece “Seeds of Hope” specifically for the gardens. It shows a butterfly sitting atop a flower.
The Garden Club’s Sharon Blair says the dedication is long overdue but was delayed a year by COVID-19.
“Time to honor Andy and his incredible talent and his wonderful and spectacular contribution to this garden. I can’t say enough about what he has done.”
Garden Club member Myron Lloyd unveiled a marker for the statue donated by the Sutherland Rankin Funeral Home.
“It shows life. Life doesn’t stay the same all the time. And with those leaves, new life is created. And I think that comes out very much on what your heart was putting into this so thank you very much.”
Crouch says the sculpture is all steel, with the butterfly made of recyclable materials. He estimated the sculpture took 60 to 70 hours of work over a six-month period. Crouch says he was pleased to be able to donate the work back to the community.
Crouch says he has been doing the steel artwork for three to four years and loves coming up with the creations.
Blair says they began the development of the Bryan Statue Gardens in 2006 following the first garden tour. It is now a certified Butterfly Garden.
The next project up for the Garden Club is the decorating contest for the downtown planters for Christmas.
Top of the sculpture designed by Andy Crouch. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
The dedication marker for the Bryan Garden sculpture. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
