On April 9 — 15 years later — Erik Blome, the renowned sculptor who created the work of art, will return to Carillon Historical Park.
Founded in 1922, the Garden Club of Dayton — a member of the Garden Club of America — seeks to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening, aid in the protection of native species, and encourage historic preservation, civic planting, and general knowledge of nature. Marie Aull, one of its first members, carried this mission to historic levels.
More than 60 years ago, Aull donated 70 acres of her idyllic property to Miami Valley residents — a swath of land that has since expanded, and is now known as Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. Not only is Aullwood the Midwest’s first Audubon nature center, it is one of the finest in the United States.
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Marie Aull lived from 1897 to 2002 — a life that spanned an incredible three centuries. In celebrating her historic contributions to the region, renowned Chicago sculptor Blome created the life-size bronze of Aull at Carillon Historical Park — her shovel in one hand, a flower in the other. Blome, a Fulbright scholarship recipient, has acclaimed works in the downtown areas of Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other major cities.
Blome’s sculpture of Marie Aull, known as the “godmother of the environmental movement in the Miami Valley,” stands surrounded by a colorful garden at Carillon Park. When he returns to the park on Monday, April 9, Blome will reunite with the Garden Club of Dayton.
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