Introducing our Artist in Residence

 

 

Anderson Japanese Gardens is delighted to introduce our new Artist in Residence, Matthew Eighmy. Matt came to us as a part-time gardener, but then revealed himself to be a creative writer and artist as well. We will share his work via the Gardens Blog on a regular basis, and hope that it will be a source of inspiration to you, as the Gardens are for all of us.

 

 

 

Matthew Eighmy is a writer, educator, and assistant gardener at Anderson Japanese Gardens. He was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, and graduated from Auburn High School in 2012. He went on to study English at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. After graduating in 2016, Matthew was an English tutor in Madrid for six months, then moved to Seattle and worked as a mentor and tutor in a public middle school. He has volunteered at Anderson Gardens periodically for several years, weeding and mulching and helping out with various tasks, enjoying the peace and the beauty of this special place. In September of 2018 he joined the garden staff—still weeding and mulching—and in addition he is now contributing writing to this blog. He is fascinated and enthralled by the splendor of nature, and by the harmonious interplay between human and natural elements in our world. Matthew feels honored and humbled by any and every opportunity to be in and a part of the extraordinary space that is Anderson Japanese Gardens.