“Garden of People” is artist Uyen-thi Nguyen's perspective on society, using Cottage Grove, Oregon as the basis for exploration. This art book intermingles Nguyen's oil paintings with intimate, anonymous quotes from conversations with the subjects. Designed to be experiential, Nguyen juxtaposes census data and traditional societal descriptors with a collage of individual stories, allowing viewers to formulate their own views as they "walk" through the garden.

In selecting subjects, census ratios regarding gender, age, race and household income were used to roughly represent the demographics of the city. Each portrait is painted to express what truths they have to share at that moment – to tell a touch of their story, of themselves and what they see.

"In Cottage Grove, or in any city, we live together, yet we are individual. There is a bit of everyone in each of us, and at the same time, there is no one like us in all the world. Perhaps in looking at this “portrait” of a city, of folks living together, people from different socioeconomic classes, different beliefs, and viewpoints, we can discover some beautiful secrets about society and humanity, and ourselves."

Lane Arts Council 2020 Individual Visual Artist Grant Recipient