Annual Theme, Exhibits, and Art

 Glass in Flight sculpture exhibit stained glass monarch butterfly

Annual Theme

Each year, Reiman Gardens' staff use a new theme to inspire its horticultural displays, educational programs, events, and even in products in the Gift Shop. The theme emphasizes a new dimension of the garden so guests can visit again and again to see and learn something new in the everchanging and exhilarating displays.

2023 Theme: Light and Reflection

The result of a reflection is never a carbon copy, but something that is transformed in the process, like an image in a body of water or the exchange of information. Color and light, along with actions, thoughts, and behaviors are all altered by the act of bending or looking back. In 2023, explore garden displays, education programs, events, and exhibits revealing the power of light and reflection in nature. Examine how plants can help us find solutions to a changing climate while you see yourself in herbs, delight in floral kaleidoscopes and an edible rainbow, look through rose (and other) colored glass, and help us celebrate the movement of light through the seasons.

Current Exhibits

Each year, our outdoor garden spaces, Hughes Conservatory, and Garden Room each feature sculptures and artwork which reflects the annual theme. Over the years, Reiman Gardens has also collected many works of art that are integrated throughout the grounds. Find descriptions of each piece of art and its location here.

Coming Soon: The popular holiday tradition at Reiman Gardens: The RG Express! Mark your calendars for this special exhibit, which begins November 11, 2023, and runs through January 20, 2024.

Current Conservatory Display: RG Express

Hughes Conservatory
November 11 - January 20, 2024

RG Express 2023

A Reiman Gardens holiday tradition is back! Visitors of all ages will be enchanted by the RG Express Train from November 11, 2023, through January 20, 2024. This detailed garden scale display was created by Applied Imagination, an internationally recognized company whose train displays merge botanical design and architecture. The RG Express is one of only 18 North American train displays of this magnitude! Walk past, around, and under miniature buildings and bridges built in the likeness of some of Iowa State Universities and Reiman Gardens' most significant buildings. Don't miss the magic of the RG Express this holiday season! View more details here.

 

Coming in 2024: Garden Playhouses

Throughout Reiman Gardens
June1 - October 1, 2024

From Saturday, June 1 Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Reiman Gardens will debut a new outdoor exhibition of garden playhouses inspired by nature. This show will feature 8 functional playhouses, designed to be site-specific and inspired by our 2024 interpretive theme, The Living Landscape. 

 

Designers/groups have been selected through a competitive process to exhibit one of 8 garden playhouses within Reiman Gardens’ 17 acres. These structures, together with interpretive materials, will form an interactive outdoor display to enchant all visitors to the Gardens and encourage them to explore and engage  

More information to come!

 

Garden Room Gallery

October: Abstract Lines by Isaac Prior

For the month of October, see large-scale works by lifelong Ames resident Isaac Prior, expressing creativity though the intricate form of line artwork.

Are you a local artist? You are invited to consider displaying your art in our Garden Room for a future exhibit. Learn more here.

image of abstract lines and text with artist's name, Isaac Prior

2024 Theme

Our 2024 theme is The Living Landscape. From Saturday, June 1, 2024 – Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Reiman Gardens will debut a new outdoor exhibition of garden playhouses inspired by nature. This show will feature eight functional playhouses, designed to be site-specific and inspired by our 2024 interpretive theme, The Living Landscape