Self-taught artist Ernest Trova of St. Louis, Missouri, says he was inspired by surrealism and abstract expressionism for "Walking Jackman" (1985), part of the collection at the River Gallery Sculpture Garden. (Photo from River Gallery)If you go
› What: River Gallery Sculpture Garden’s 25th anniversary reception with “Birdez” sculptor Mark Chatterley.› When: 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, May 18.› Where: 400 E. Second St.› Phone: 1-800-374-2923.
Months after the River Gallery opened, Mary Portera toured an art gallery inside a historical home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That gallery showcased beautiful art on the inside and opened up into a sculpture garden in the backyard.
Portera told her husband she wanted one.
"Where is my garden? I really, truly was giving him a hard time," she recalled last week while standing in her sculpture garden next to her husband, retired physician Charles Portera.
Her request marked the beginning of the River Gallery Sculpture Garden, one of several jewels in the Bluff View Art District, a historic neighborhood overlooking the Tennessee River that the Porteras have dedicated to visual, horticultural and culinary arts.
This year, a month before the couple's 55th wedding anniversary in June, they're celebrating the garden's 25-year anniversary.
Mark Chatterley, who created the sculpture called "Birdzel," will be featured during a reception Friday, May 18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. His sculpture will be on display until June 2019 or until its sold.
Charles Portera started laying the groundwork for the sculpture garden in 1992. When he started his project, crushed concrete and asphalt from nearby development lined the bank that now forms the backside of the sculpture garden.
The couple called on landscape architect Joe Baasch to design the two-acre outdoor site. It opened to the public on Memorial Day 1993.
Charles Portera created the sculpture garden with his wife's request in mind, but it has become a gift to the community. Open during daylight hours, it has become more than a place for art-gazing. Visitors may cruise through before or after a meal at one of the district's restaurants, take meditative strolls or relax from daily stresses amid the myriad sculptures and lush plant life. There is no fee for the walk-through, though professional photographers and couples who want to marry there pay fees.
The garden includes other permanent pieces by sculptors who have been influential in shaping American art, including "Made to Measure" by Peter MacElwain, "Maze of Light" by Tommy Spake and "Ballerina" by Dan Jackson. The sculpture called "Spinner" is by Evan Lewis, who also did artwork featured in the 1996 movie "Twister." A meditation area has concrete slabs that face a sculpture by Leonard Baskin called "The Prodigal Son."
Artists Teena Stern and Don Haugen made a sculpture called "Grandfather" in honor of Charles Portera.
The garden includes 24 sculptures. Some are for sale, including "Wild Hare" by Josh Cote ($1,600), "Heron" by Matt Walker ($452) and "Icarus") by Russell Whiting ($18,000).
It is the only sculpture garden in the country featured in AAA Northeast Magazine's "Garden Getaways" list of 10 best international gardens to visit. It's also listed in the prestigious Sculpture Parks and Gardens Directory published by Sculpture Magazine.
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.