Sculptor Eva Montville is bringing her latest installation, Heart Locker, to the Hi-Desert Artists Gallery in Yucca Valley. The exhibit, opening February 15, features 50 suspended hearts carved from weathered Manzanita roots. Each piece is cracked and fractured and inlaid with metals, stones, and crystals, symbolizing healing and transformation.
Montville, known for her nature-inspired work, describes Heart Locker as a “love letter to life on our planet,” expressing hope, connection, and renewal.
In 2017, Montville read a United Nations report saying it was too late for many species, the oceans, rising temperatures, and melting ice. She felt heartbroken and decided to express her sadness through her art. She saw this bin of Manzanita roots she had been carrying for years. They looked like hearts.
Her artwork before the Manzanita hearts had been much more thought out. “Sometimes making a model, doing drawings, that kind of thing,” she said. “But these just come from my own heart. The Manzanita roots are flawed.”
Her artwork before the Manzanita hearts had been much more thought out. “Sometimes making a model, doing drawings, that kind of thing,” she said. “But these just come from my own heart. The Manzanita roots are flawed.”
They have cracks and holes, so she started filling some of them with metallic powders, semi-precious stones, and turquoise with copper stripping.
When she reflected on her work, Montville realized that her heart had broken repeatedly in the 80-some years of her life. But it had also healed repeatedly and become stronger. You can still see the cracks and holes in the Manzanita root, but the glue that binds them together makes them stronger.
Alongside the exhibit, she will host three Heart Circles—interactive workshops where participants can reflect on personal healing. Space is limited to 10 people per session.
Montville said that during her workshops, she would ask people three questions: what breaks your heart, what heals it, and what transforms it? Then, she would give them time to reflect on their answers through writing, drawing, or other expressions.
“I wanted a way to make this experiential because that’s how people learn the best through their own experience and reflecting on it. It’s not enough to have the experience.”The Heart Locker installation is free and open to the public. Details on gallery hours and workshops are available at hi-desertartists.com.
