NatureMaker Celebrates 35 Years of Creating 'Steel Art Trees'

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Jun 27, 2018, 10:03 ET

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With its inception in 1983 out of a small mountaintop studio, Bennett Abrams and Gary Hanick couldn't have foreseen the twists, turns, permutations, and occasional eruptions that catapulted NatureMaker to larger and ever more challenging Steel Art Tree commissions over the ensuing thirty-five years.

NatureMaker celebrates 35 years of Steel Art Trees. Individually handcrafted to conform to architectural, structural, fire, and seismic specifications, permanent sculptures can be found in airports, corporate offices, casinos, hospitals, hotels, libraries, museums, zoos, and private estates. In addition, installations have been featured at iconic events including the “Tree of Tenere” at Burning Man 2017, the “Tree of Hope” for the 2015-16 Paul Mitchell tour, and the "Giant Tree of Life" (shown)

Abrams, an eco-artist whose original wax sculptures were primarily sought by museums, corporations, and private collectors in the 60s and 70s, had a vision to evolve his art using natural and handcrafted materials. NatureMaker (then known as California Country Trees) began with creations including "sapling" pines, dogwoods, and wisteria. These designs appealed to retailers and high-end residential clients.

Co-Founder Hanick, a Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumnus, oversaw the business aspects of NatureMaker. The two men did not have a grand plan or vision for the art, rather, their innate curiosity and enthusiasm set the course.

"Nature brought indoors was no longer merely a green space holder in a dark corner," explained Hanick, president and co-founder of NatureMaker. "Our Steel Art Trees provided a new platform for architects, developers, and interior space planners to identify and brand their environments. In addition, by changing materials and fabrication methodologies, NatureMaker was able to create a more hands-on, interactive experience."

Las Vegas and "themed entertainment" created a demand for towering trees that became a part of the architecture and design of the space.

In 1999, in response to its larger public visibility, California Country Trees became NatureMaker. By the time of his passing in 2004, Abrams had already left an indelible stamp on Hanick and the nucleus for what is now a fully launched NatureMaker: a growing and ever-evolving organization and art studio with installations around the world.

Life-size and true to scale, each NatureMaker sculpture captures the nuances of silhouette, trunk, branch, bark and limb structure. Using state-of-the-art engineering, each tree, regardless of size, exceeds applicable building and seismic codes.

With more than 20 different species, NatureMaker trees can be found at some of the world's most prestigious events and locations including the following:

A 25-foot Oak Tree – The Met Gala, New York, USA
Birch Tree Sky Garden – 42^nd Floor Sky Lobby at The Bow – Calgary, AB, Canada
Interactive Banyon – Cerritos Children's Library, California, USA
Court of Palms – The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, China
Two-story native Michigan Oak Tree Canopy – Milliken Discovery Center, Detroit, MI, USA

In the past several years, NatureMaker has expanded its expertise to include outdoor arboreal sculpture for museums, restaurants, shopping centers, healthcare facilities and resorts.

In 2017, "The Tree of Tenere" was commissioned by Burning Man as one of its iconic art installations. The giant (40 x 40 ft) sculpture was the first NatureMaker tree engineered specifically for people to climb.

Today, NatureMaker employs 25 full-time artists, designers, welders, sculptors, painters, craftspeople, and administrative staff. Its trees can be found in more than 23 countries.

For more information about NatureMaker, please visit www.naturemaker.com.

SOURCE NatureMaker