With numerous, large-scale art
installations mainly composed of
stainless steel and concrete, it is easy
to imagine that Heartseed Gardens
and Whip Snake Park — named for
the snakes that gave Risser fits when
he was building the skate park — will
stand the test of time. What will future
generations think about this place? If
some terrible, extinction-level event
wiped most of us off the planet and
some future species or group of aliens
“discovered” Risser’s creations, what
would they think?
It seems like a worthy idea to ponder
while strolling through the 80-acre plot
that Risser has shaped into a sculpture
garden, or while making the four-hour
drive back to Wilmington.
The fact that someone would work so
hard to build a sculpture garden/skate
park to leave behind for future genera-tions
without any expectation of profit
may be another worthy idea to consider.
“I want to share fun, over anything else,”
Risser says.
Art sculpture gardens have been
placing communities on the map
across the nation, providing spaces for
people to congregate, share ideas and
get inspired. These places have been
especially valuable since the start of the
pandemic, and a variety of businesses
have cropped up around them.
As Risser states when referring to
Heartseed Gardens, “It is in the middle
of nowhere, which is now somewhere.”
Risser recently just purchased
14 acres near West Jefferson on the
New River in North Carolina’s High
Country and is hoping to build huge
sculptures all over the mountain. His
many plans for the property include
connecting with the art community
and starting a studio in the coming
months, but he doesn’t have anything
concrete — yet.
Risser enjoys sharing his creations
with the public, however, due to safety
concerns, he asks that anyone inter-ested
in a tour contact him via social
media before showing up.
dragonflies
4106 Oleander Drive, 910-796-9997
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