Art Garden

  • Photo of origami lotuses of various sizes and colors sitting on a light wooden table.
    Photo of origami lotuses of various sizes and colors sitting on a light wooden table.

    Photo of origami lotuses of various sizes and colors sitting on a light wooden table.

With Downtown Little Rock’s MacArthur Park as the canvas, Art Garden is a community-built art installation celebrating AMFA's Grand Opening on April 22, 2023.

Art Garden invites all Arkansans to take part in the creation of this inaugural event by making their own origami lotus — one of thousands to be installed on the AMFA grounds to transform the surrounding landscape into a dynamic composition of color, shape, and movement.

All are welcome to get involved in Art Garden, so let's create art together!

Fold a Flower

An origami lotus is fun and easy to make with any kind of paper. Watch our video tutorial to learn how to fold a flower for Art Garden!

Watch Video

Four Ways to Create

Before you start creating an origami lotus, you first need to pick your paper. There are four different options:

  1. Use any paper you have on hand
  2. Make a sun print using construction paper
  3. Make a cyanotype print using pre-coated paper
  4. Make a cyanotype print using a paint-on solution

Select any process below to access step-by-step instructions and additional resources, then have fun creating art!

Drop-Off Locations

After you create your origami lotuses, you can mail them to AMFA using this mailing label, or drop them off at any one of the following libraries in the Little Rock metro area from January 6, 2023 to March 24, 2023.

Educator Resources

Need helping lesson planning? Download our Educators Guide to access an overview of this project and other helpful instructions.

Join Art Garden

Please contact us to find out how your school or organization can be part of the Art Garden installation.

Sponsors

Art Garden is supported in part by Judy C Thompson Rev. Trust.