The project started as a friendly conversation between Jordan and Jason Neumann, Public Programs Manager at Cincinnati Nature Center. Jason had spent years preserving antique farm tools found in old barns throughout the property. Rather than throwing these items away, he envisioned incorporating them into an outdoor art display as a way to celebrate the area’s agricultural history. Jordan immediately embraced the idea and met with Jason on-site to better understand the location, examine the preserved tools, and discuss the broader vision for the installation.

After hashing out a few design concepts, they both agreed on the idea of a centralized wildflower sculpture which would then be accentuated by the preserved tools surrounding it. This official plan came with a caveat: The entire installation needed to be low maintenance and withstand the outdoor elements long-term. Keeping that in mind, Jordan designed and built the monumental wildflower with Corten steel. This weathering steel naturally develops a protective rust-colored patina, eliminating the need for maintenance while blending beautifully into the surrounding landscape.

The salvaged farm tools became a collection of sculptural “pollinators” positioned throughout the area. Jordan transformed wrenches, drill bits, springs, ball bearings, saw blades, and other historic agricultural tools into over-sized butterflies, bees, dragonflies, birds, and an owl, allowing the original materials to remain a meaningful part of the installation.

The centerpiece stands approximately sixteen feet tall and represents a large daisy paired with an accompanying hemlock stem. Jordan conceived the sculpture as a hand-tied bouquet of wildflowers, with forged steel bands wrapping around the stems in a traditional blacksmithing style. Hand-forged scrolls, organic branching forms, and artistic flourishes express the natural movement and growth seen in native plants.

Once the sculpture and other elements were complete, everything was installed within the Nature Center’s Witt Pollinator Garden. A spiral pathway leads visitors toward the wildflower, revealing the additional handcrafted wildlife along the way. Large natural stone seating surrounds the base of the centerpiece, encouraging visitors to pause within the garden. During peak growing seasons, many of the surrounding native plants reach several feet in height, allowing guests to become immersed in the landscape.

By combining contemporary sculpture with reclaimed agricultural equipment, the project transformed a simple mound of excavated soil into one of Cincinnati Nature Center's most memorable destinations, all while honoring both the site's ecological restoration and its historical roots.