TAMPA, Fla. — A unique form of art sculpture that started off in a Tampa backyard just a few years ago has now led to a large-scale exhibit inside the Museum of Science and Industry. It’s called Dreaming in Bamboo.
For artist Alexander Nixon, it’s his first real exhibit inside a museum.
Tampa Bay 28 first reported on Nixon and his bamboo art back in 2019.
“I wanted to make artwork out of natural materials, and after a lot of trial and error, I discovered bamboo,” said Nixon. “Kind of like a squirrel with a map of all the places where I collect nuts, so I go pretty much within a five-mile radius from home and collect bamboo.”
From an elephant to a foot to a butterfly, Nixon developed techniques that allowed him to bring sculptures to life.
“From the outside it’s kind of this outer shell, but on the inside it’s a lot of engineering and mechanics and skeletal elements,” said Nixon.
He said he loves all the great feedback.
“Especially from the innocent viewpoint of a child, who lights up seeing that, ‘oh, you can transform anything into something imaginative, something new,” said Nixon.
After years of twisting, bending and scaling bamboo into countless sculptures, Nixon finally felt he was ready for an actual exhibit. He decided to reach out to MOSI, a museum he visited frequently as a kid.
“I think art is a challenge to go from all that time working on your art to making sure people actually see it,” said Nixon. “I really want my sculptures to keep storytelling and speak to people on a universal level. For me, it’s sort of like a nostalgic childhood dream come true to bring my sculptures to a place where there was a fascination and awe growing up.”
MOSI President and CEO John Smith said they were immediately intrigued by Nixon’s work.
“So at MOSI we really focus on the fact that it’s not art in one corner and science in another, it’s a crossover between art and science and it happens everywhere,” said Smith. “So this is a really great example of that because you are talking about a natural material that can be found in nature. It’s also an invasive species here in Florida, so we are trying to teach a little bit about that.”
Smith said the exhibit fits in perfectly with their mission to promote STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. He said every category is captured in Nixon’s artwork.
“If you see how these are made, it’s an engineering marvel,” said Smith. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, and that made it even more special.”
Nixon says he hopes to be a voice in the community for all those up-and-coming artists out there.
“I think I’m the first metaphorical trail blazer on this path where the world is shifting to things like bamboo, and I’m kind of showing symbolically what’s possible,” said Nixon.
Dreaming in Bamboo is on display now through March 29.
For more information on Alexander Nixon and his bamboo sculptures, go here.
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