Skip to content
pt
Home
Reading time 3 min

Good memories

Redação Inhotim

Those who love museum gift shops cannot miss out on two very special spaces at Inhotim, which are filled with memories of the visit to park. Opened in 2007, the Intitute’s design store has a diversified mix of products, including books, DVDs, decorative pieces, sustainable toys, accessories as well as Inhotim’s institutional line, which has just been launched. Don’t you know it yet? The collection includes notebooks, pencils, mugs, shirts, ecobags, handbags, among others, with prices to fit all pockets. To make products even more charming, the Inhotim brand transformed into a typographic pattern, appearing in cobalt blue, red, green and black.

 

The other space is dedicated to botany and sells species that can be found in the Institute’s collection, as well as gardening tools, home furnishings and utensils produced at the Ceramics Oti factory, located at Inhotim. The nicest thing about it is that those who enjoy plants can take home seedlings planted in handmade pots made by residents of Brumadinho,  during workshops aimed at the community. It is worth mentioning that selling products is a way to make the institution sustainable, as it is a source of income that allows the park to keep on receiving visitors from around the world.

 

Lojas do Inhotim vendem acessórios exclusivosInhotim’s gift shops offer products that carry the Institute’s DNA Photo: Ricardo Mallaco

 

 

The perfect harmony between the essence of the park and Inhotim gift shops ensured them a place on the Blouin Artinfo list, which selected the coolest shops of this segment worldwide.)

 

 

General information

Inhotim Shops – Design & Botany

Where is it? Rua B, 20 – Brumadinho/MG

When is it open? Tuesday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

How to pay? In cash, by check and all major credit and debit cards

Any questions? Just call +55 (31) 3571-9848

Reading time 3 min

Butterfly garden

Redação Inhotim

They are always there. Flying around Inhotim, resting between plants and artworks. With various shapes and colors, the park’s butterflies are not there by chance: they are a sign that nature and man coexist in harmony at the Institute.

 

In 2011, the Institute was listed as a Botanic Garden, and besides maintaining different plant collections, Inhotim develops botanical research on its environment. One of these studies particularly focuses on the Institute’s butterfly community. In partnership with Centro Unversitário UNA, from Belo Horizonte, researchers from Inhotim’s Department of Environmental Management have conducted this study since May 2012, aiming to map frugivores (which feed on decaying fruit, minerals and feces) and nectarivores (which feed on flower nectar and pollen) present at the visitation area at Inhotim. So far, more than 200 types of these insects have been identified, some of which rare in the region.

 

In addition to scientific papers, the project yielded several developments, such as the Among Butterflies Theme Circuit, a tour that allows visitors to learn about how species are captured and identified, and also to learn how the animals are archived and displayed. “Our goal is to educate visitors on the importance of butterflies as a biological indicator for the environment and also unveiling myths,” says Cristiane Hubner, environmental assistant at Inhotim and one of the students responsible for the initiative. Also, an Photo Guide is currently being developed and there is a proposal for the creation of a butterfly garden.

 

In partnership with Cerâmica Oti – factory that operates in the Institute and produces unique pieces for Inhotim gift shops – also created a line of products decorated with images of different butterflies identified during the study. “These products are utilities such as plates, mugs, cups, cake pans and even jugs. “The visitor can take home a product that mixes art and environmental awareness in many levels, from the concept to the choice of nonpolluting materials,” says Lea Diegues, artist responsible for the collection.

Reading time 3 min

In the heart of Inhotim

Redação Inhotim

One does not need to go a long way into Inhotim to bump into one of the largest and most beautiful trees in the park: the Tamboril. The specimen, located in the central area of the Institute, is an invitation for whoever is wandering around to go and take pictures. Moreover, Tamboril encourages you to rest underneath its shade or perhaps just gaze at it for a couple minutes. The tree is a popular hangout amongst visitors.

The story of Tamboril, or Enterolobium contortisiliquum, is intertwined with the story of Inhotim itself. The tree is believed to be from 80 to 100 years old, thus being one of Inhotim’s oldest assets. One of the restaurants in the park has been named after the specimen, which has remained in the same place ever since the region was a small village. Additionally, it is the inspiration for some of the ceramic artworks produced at the park, which have the tree painted on them.

Tamboril is an abundant species of our flora. Being deciduous, it loses its leaves seasonally. Its canopy reaches from 20 to 35 meters of height and it may range from between 80 and 160 inches of trunk diameter. It is a fast initial growth tree, which makes it well suited for reforestation. Its fruits are curvy and semi-hardwood, kidney or ear-shaped and may contain from two to twelve shiny brown seeds. Due to that, the tree has been granted several popular nicknames over the years, one of them being “Monkey’s Ears”.

In spite of being large and thick, the Tamboril wood is light, soft and very resistant. Due to that, it is often used to make canoes, toys, plywood and crates in general.

Since it is a waterbed tree, it was customary for washerwomen in the past to use Tamboril seeds and peels to wash clothing, as they contain soaping properties. Nowadays, several institutions are carrying out more thorough research on Enterolobium contortisiliquum. The Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), for instance, has discovered the existence of a protein in the plant’s seeds, which has been extracted and proven to have powerful antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant and antithrombotic action.

Popular Name: Tamboril or Monkey’s ear

Scientific name: Enterolobium contortisiliquum

Family: Fabaceae

Occurrence: rain and semi-deciduous forests all over Brazil’s territory