Past Exhibits

Desert Botanical Garden presented new works by world-renowned artists Philip and Matt Moulthrop. Woodturning has been a Moulthrop family legacy for three generations and their pieces are immediately recognizable by their distinct contemporary forms. This exhibition featured a collection of turned wood that revealed the inherent beauty of trees and shrubs native to Arizona with wood collected by Desert Botanical Garden sources.

Photo by: Adam Rodriguez

Gyotaku impressions of fish from Arizona canals, rivers, lakes and ponds by Dr. Joe McAuliffe. Dr. McAuliffe held the position of Director of Research, Conservation, and Collections from 1990 through 2017 and is most notably recognized for his research in desert ecology. Fish Out of Water celebrated the water that sustains present-day societies in Arizona, with a specific focus on fish found in the Salt River and Crosscut Canals.

Photo by: Adam Rodriguez

Artist Dale Chihuly returned to Desert Botanical Garden with a stunning exhibition of his extraordinary and vibrant works of art. Chihuly is credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement and elevating the perception of the glass medium from craft to fine art. Each site-specific installation enhanced the natural beauty of the Garden and excited hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.

Philip Haas’ monumental, earthy and exuberant sculptures were inspired by Italian Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s painting series The Four Seasons. These whimsical renditions of Arcimboldo’s portraits were puzzle-like sculptures composed of fruits, vegetables, flowers and other natural objects.
Photo by: Adam Rodriguez

Dorrance Center was transformed into a large-scale exhibition that brought together international product design and the natural environment, and ignited powerful questions about our choices of materials and production practices. Each design was inspired by nature and sustainable choices, and explored unique substances, including chicle latex, salmon leather, and vegetable ivory, seeking to illuminate the complexity and vitality of materials at their source.

Big Bugs sculptures by artist David Rogers were found throughout the Garden trails and butte. The installation provided a look at insect predators, pollinators and beneficial critters. Each piece was carefully crafted from fallen or found wood, cut saplings, twigs, raw branches, twine, bark and other natural materials and ranged from 7 feet to 25 feet long.
Photo by: Adam Rodriguez

Don’t miss this living exhibit that features more than a thousand free-flying Southwestern butterflies.

Desert Botanical Garden is embarking on a new partnership with London-based pioneering artist studio ScanLAB Projects, bringing its groundbreaking visual and technical artwork here in 2025. The exhibit will be a first-of-its-kind in the Valley to connect science and nature at this scale in both indoor and outdoor environments.