This circular garden bed in front of the Museum’s Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion was dedicated in honor of Nonie (Eleanor) Krauss in the spring of 2008. Nonie, the late wife of John Krauss, was very involved at the IMA and loved nature, bird watching and gardening. A generous gift from Nonie’s husband along with her friends and family allowed the IMA to convert a space that was covered in mulch half of the year into a fully planted year-round garden.

Each year, major elements of the garden change with each passing season. For the garden’s winter display, plants are chosen based on their potential to brighten the space. These could include ‘Whitespire’ birch trees, blue weeping Alaska cedars, yews and deciduous hollies. For continuous color through early spring, a red twig dogwood and hundreds of tulips may enhance the garden display. Summer displays are lush, exuberant and colorful – a planting that truly expresses the joy of life that Nonie represented.

Here marks the passage between art and nature, nature and art, for in reality, they are one. – Nonie’s Garden plaque inscription