An Inspired Creation at Sculpture Park

Photo  by Donna Barrett

Retired art teacher Donna Barrett has turned Franklin Sculpture Park into a living gallery of her career and her life, with three distinct installations that each tell a different story of creativity and resilience.

Her journey with the park began at its opening in 2014 with Mandy’s Flower Garden. A collaboration with her third-grade class at Helen Keller Elementary School, the piece was a burst of color and imagination. More than just an art project, it created a lasting bond between the students and the community, planting the seeds for Donna's ongoing relationship with the space.

Mandy's Flower Garden

Last year, Donna shifted from the joyful energy of a classroom to the whimsical world of Fairy Tales. This installation was designed as a magical home for an exhibit, inviting visitors to step out of their daily routines and into a realm of storytelling. It served as a tribute to her lifelong passion for sparking creativity in people of all ages.

Her latest work, The Dragonfly, is perhaps her most personal installation yet. Constructed from mobility devices, the sculpture transforms equipment often associated with limitation into a symbol of beauty and strength. The choice of the dragonfly is intentional: despite having six legs, the insect cannot walk, relying instead on its wings for grace and agility. As a power wheelchair user, Donna finds a deep connection in this. “I relate to the dragonfly,” she says. “There is more than one way to move through life.”

Together, these three projects trace an inspiring arc—from the innocent blossoms of Mandy’s Flower Garden to the imaginative escape of Fairy Tales, and finally to the powerful resilience of The Dragonfly. Through these works, Donna continues to challenge viewers to look beyond the ordinary and find beauty in the unexpected.

You can celebrate The Dragonfly and other new additions to the park at an art ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 5 p.m. at Franklin Sculpture Park off of Panther Way.