Jillian Mayer's Largest Sculpture 'Pergola Spolia' Debuts at The Baker Museum

Jillian Mayer's 'Pergola Spolia,' her largest outdoor sculpture to date, is now on view at The Baker Museum's Norris Garden in Naples, Florida, as part of the 'Florida Contemporary 2025-26' exhibition. The four-part work belongs to her Slumpies series, featuring concrete, rebar, and metal-mesh forms with an oil-slick iridescence. Commissioned by the museum, it was installed in October 2025 and will depart in July 2026. Mayer describes the piece as an exploration of posture, built form, and planned obsolescence, using reclaimed materials like foam from a movie prop site and rebar from abandoned construction sites. Inspiration came from mangrove root systems, Louise Nevelson's 'Dawn's Forest' (also at The Baker), and Florida's Cape Romano Dome House. The sculpture invites engagement—sitting or slumping—and is designed with transience in mind. Mayer's upcoming projects include a September solo exhibition at David Castillo Gallery in Miami (where she has shown since 2011), a group show at The Future Perfect in New York City, and a large aluminum Slumpie at MASS MoCA. She also runs CITY-STATE, an artist-run studio and mini-gallery in Miami, and is developing MAYER OBJECTS, a design-forward branch of her practice.