On the passing of Pearl Fryar

Decorated topiary artist dies at 86

Official Statement from the S.C. Arts Commission

Click image to enlarge.

Sad news emerged from Lee County yesterday as it was announced that Pearl Fryar, a nationally recognized South Carolina topiary artist, died after a period of declining health. He was 86.

Fryar was the son of a North Carolina sharecropper who found his way to New York and was then relocated to Bishopville for work. He taught himself how to create masterful topiary art that quickly gained him a national following. According to Post & Courier reporting,

Fryar was the subject of the 2006 award-winning documentary, “A Man Named Pearl.”

He was a self-taught artist who has been featured in numerous national publications and TV shows, including The New York Times, “The Martha Stewart Show” and “CBS Sunday Morning.”

He further appeared in the pages of Garden & Gun magazine. In 2013, the South Carolina Arts Commission honored him with what became the Governor’s Award for the Arts. Over the course of many years, he welcomed a considerable amount of visitors to his 4-acre property as he personally showed off his creations.

The South Carolina Arts Commissioned is saddened by the news of Fryar’s passing and sends warm and sincere condolences to his family, friends, and to Michael Gibson, an artist who began managing the topiary garden for Fryar five years ago.