Dawn Brooks-Rapp
After completing the University of Rhode Island Master Gardener program, Dawn Brooks-Rapp brought her own green oasis to life. Inspired by a deep love of meditation and yoga, Dawn spent five years studying, designing, and building a traditional one-acre Japanese Garden. This serene landscape, which inspired the fairy house she created for this exhibit, features a custom tea house and a vibrant pond brimming with lotus and frogs, combining her master gardener skills with her husband Mark Rapp’s architectural expertise.
Erica Champney
Erica Champney has spent years creating tiny dwellings inspired by unseen folk and the stories they tell. Each fairy house begins with a walk through the woods to gather natural elements like fallen bark, acorns, moss, and twigs. As a self-proclaimed “tinker fairy,” Erica delights in transforming forgotten objects into magical art. To this end, she weaves a small artifact from her own childhood into each piece as a personal signature. Her work celebrates imagination, sustainability, and nature, and has been featured in local galleries and along public nature trails in central Massachusetts. Explore her creations on Facebook.
Emily Parker
Born and raised in central Massachusetts, Emily Parker has been inspired by mythology, history, fantasy, and the natural world since childhood. She enjoys creative writing, drawing, painting, sewing, and various artistic crafts. While she frequently builds smaller fairy houses for her own home, The Crow House marks her first large-scale outdoor project. This is not the first time her work has been featured in a Garden exhibit. She created the steampunk alchemist gnome, ‘Professor Widdershins,’ for the annual exhibition, Gnomevember.
Faith Boucher
Originally from New York City, Faith Boucher spent her childhood summers creating fairy gardens in the Adirondacks before building a career in technical theater. Educated at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, she returned to the United States in 2022 and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona. Faith designs detailed, realistic props for theatrical productions and organizations nationwide. Her work aims to weave everyday objects into larger, imaginative stories for viewers of all ages. See her fabrication work on Instagram.
Nell Carpenter
Floral artist Nell Carpenter draws inspiration from the rich landscapes surrounding her Rhode Island studio, including local gardens, forests, and swamps. Her distinct botanical designs seamlessly blend fresh flowers, dried botanicals, and textiles into sculptural, one-of-a-kind compositions. Nell’s award-winning work challenges traditional floral boundaries through striking color palettes, architectural forms, and unexpected natural elements. Discover her portfolio at Flowers by Nell.
Pam Bonaguide
Pamela Bonaguide is a mixed-media artist whose large-scale sculptures and installations explore nature, material history, and transformation. Using bark, straw, cement, textiles, hypertufa, and found wood, she blurs the line between indoor and outdoor spaces. She constructs woodland figures from tree bark and embeds delicate textiles in cement to preserve their intricate patterns. Pamela holds a B.A. from Central Connecticut State University, studied photography at the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies, and is the founder of Tall Tales & Curiosities Studio in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Sally J. Smith
For over 18 years, Sally J. Smith has created environmental sculptures using ethically foraged natural materials from her studio in the Adirondack Mountains. Best known for her intricate fairy houses, her work has been featured by HarperCollins, The New York Times, and Better Homes and Gardens, as well as in numerous calendars and puzzles. She has authored several books, including her collector’s edition Enviramagination and the builder’s guide Fairy Houses: How to Create Whimsical Homes for Fairy Folk. A frequent contributor to the New England Botanic Garden, Sally previously curated the 20-piece Enchanted Forest exhibition here in 2022 and 2024. Learn more at Sally J. Smith Art.
Sarah Brueck
Based in Central Massachusetts, Sarah Brueck is a multidisciplinary artist who creates nature-inspired stained glass, mixed-media sculptures, and immersive installations. A former professional chef, she transitioned to full-time art in 2012 to blend fine craftsmanship with storytelling. Her work explores the intersection of organic design and whimsy, ranging from delicate glass pieces to large-scale public art across New England. Follow her creative journey on Instagram.
Shawn Carlin
Shawn Carlin is a lifelong Massachusetts resident and miniature artist specializing in fantasy, sci-fi, and the supernatural. Inspired by film special effects, he uses advanced building techniques to create highly detailed, visually dynamic scenes frozen in time. For this exhibition, Carlin designed ‘Pumpkin King Hollow,’ a grand, whimsical fairy house built with materials a crafty fairy might forage in nature. The piece focuses on deep storytelling to spark childlike wonder, and it truly comes to life at night through custom special lighting effects. Carlin’s work has been featured by HBO Max, Michaels, and Department 56. He actively shares his builds on Instagram.
The Garden’s Visitor Services Fairy Hollow Team
Artists Leah, Grace, Isabella, Nicole, and Renee—all members of the Garden’s Visitor Services team—have joined forces to put a whimsical spin on a familiar landscape. With support from Worcester’s makerspace, Technocopia, they have reimagined the Garden as a botanical oasis fit for fairies. The team extends a special thanks to the members of Technocopia for providing the tool training, troubleshooting, and technical guidance that helped bring their designs to life.
