We’re suckers for a good surprise (as long as we’re the ones behind it). But it’s a spot more difficult to keep the main event under wraps when it comes to exhibitions this impressive. Manolo Valdés casts a formidable shadow, sparing nothing to create some of the most striking–and colossal–visuals for our upcoming Monumental Sculpture exhibit; for the uninitiated, that’s our next major show here at the NYBG. And this week we jumped headlong into preparation for the September 22 opening.

All told, we couldn’t exactly sneak these sculptures into the Garden. Some of them, such as the Alhambra piece, weigh in at 40,000 pounds with spans reaching nearly 50 lateral feet; they’re not what you’d call statuettes. Arranging these monoliths has proven a spectacle in itself, drawing streams of visitors and employees alike, all snapping away with their cameras as we uncrate and maneuver massive heads and latticework by truck-mounted cranes. It’s a careful and dramatic process that we were able to capture a bit of in the last couple of days.
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You’d have a hard time finding a lack of inspiration in Elena Rosenberg’s creations. You might see form and function wrapped up in a neat bow of elegance, but beyond it all, there’s that creative knack that makes her efforts with wearable fiber art so attractive. So when we talked to Elena via Twitter and found that she was creating a line of wearable art inspired by the botanical world, up to and including plants seen in The New York Botanical Garden, our interest was piqued.

That was back in early spring. Elena’s since completed her first series of designs based on botanical aesthetics, and was kind enough to talk with me about what it is that pushed her to take up this skill, as well as how the natural world found its way into her work. She even has a few pointers for hopeful creatives looking to pick up a craft for themselves, if not carry their own to the next level.

Because the blending of fashion and nature has become such a choice topic around Plant Talk, you’ll want to keep an eye out for future spotlights on local talent and styles. In the meantime, Elena gives us a glimpse into her modern take on classic techniques.
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First thing’s first: We have released new tickets for the final two Monet Evenings! If you’d like to wander around the water lily pools and stroll down our recreation of Monet’s grand allée, cocktail in hand, while the sun sets behind the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, then you need to snap up your tickets before they sell out again!

Next up, dinnertime in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden! As part of “Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens,” a robust and interactive space in the Family Garden filled with beds of vegetables and herbs used at Mario’s restaurant kitchens, Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs pairs the produce from these beds with chefs from Mario Batali’s restaurants. On Thursday, July 26 join Chef Frank Langello of Babbo Ristorante and Chef Cruz Goler of Lupa Osteria Romana for an unforgettable dinner. Want to know what’s on the menu? Annie Novak, Assistant Manager of the Family Garden shows you in the video below.

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Arlene Ellis bridges the gaps between science, art, and fashion with her in-depth study of natural patterns, many of which she details on her website, Organic Lyricism. Here, she relates how her first trip to The New York Botanical Garden informed her latest clothing designs.

I had never heard of textile design while growing up, despite aspiring to become a designer or an artist. In fact, I only became familiar with the word “textile” last fall, a bit weird considering I began drawing patterns at age 15. This was the year that I discovered the phenomenon of fractals in nature.

Fractals are geometric shapes that can be divided into smaller parts, each resembling the overall shape of the whole, regardless of scale. After learning about these fascinating designs, I began noticing them everywhere–in trees, ferns, snowflakes, and in natural formations. This preoccupation eventually sparked my interest in the ultimate fractal-like structure: the brain. In college, however, I soon proved to be more interested in drawing these patterns than I was in studying my neuroscience textbooks.

My interests were leaning heavily in one direction, but despite my constant drawing of patterns, textile design was still a foreign concept to me. It wasn’t until I began taking courses at New York’s School of Visual Arts that this changed. I learned that textile design would help me to unite my love for biological patterns with my love for art. I grew to understand that textile design plays a pivotal role in our daily lives; these patterns adorn our clothes, our bedding, our carpets and furniture. And I realized that I could use these visuals to communicate the beauty of nature to people on an intimate level. After visiting The New York Botanical Garden for the first time in June, that’s just what I set out to do.
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On any given day, our Twitter feed is a flood of information from fans, friends, fellow institutions and the daily happenings of New York City. But now and then we stumble over the kind of encouraging Garden adventure that pushes us to keep doing what we’re doing. That was the case last week, when Doing Art Together found its way into the stream.

Executive Director Heather-Marie Brooks Montilla and her colleagues are heroes of a sort. I don’t think they run into burning buildings all that often; neither are they with the Coast Guard. But they’re as committed to their cause as any fireman. And Doing Art Together (DAT), the group’s long-running educational program, is something of a rescue operation in its own right. Focused on under-resourced children and young adults aged four to 21, these teachers have spent decades working to keep the city’s kids on the right path, turning to art, day in and day out, to make a positive mark on impressionable minds.
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Very special thanks to our ‘American Gothic‘ re-enactors, Elie Haber and Michelle Kehyaian.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen.

Beth Breakstone, 2012

Roberta Rosenthal’s talent with the brush extends well beyond her own canvas. By helming painting courses here at The New York Botanical Garden, her legacy as a botanical painter and an instructor has trickled down to the many burgeoning artists to have studied under her in the last 25 years. But her coursework is far from a paint-by-numbers explainer for weekend hobbyists.

“The more I can get students to ask questions and develop answers for themselves, the more I can expect them to be life-long learners who will continue to develop their artistic skills and understanding,” writes Roberta. Her courses focus not only on technical ability, but on working within a social environment in which critiques from peers and instructors become integral to the process of maturing as an artist.
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.

The New York Botanical Garden and the American Society of Botanical Artists are co-hosting a juried botanical art show Green Currency: Plants in the Economy in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery from April 20-July 31.

The show–which opens tomorrow, April 20–features artists from 14 States and 8 countries. There are 43 works on botanical specimens that have economic importance whether they are used in medicine, food, clothing and shelter.

The works range from paw paws and pomegranates to pokeweed. In anticipation of the opening I would like to take a look at one of the entries: Ginger (Zingiber officinale). Ginger is a spice that carries me through the winter months; I add it to my salmon dishes for flavor and drink cupfuls of ginger tea to ward off sore throats and soothe my stomach. In my youth, consumption was centered on ginger ale and ginger bread cookies.

The tan knobby fresh ginger you buy in the supermarket is a creeping, underground modified stem. Botanically speaking, the part we harvest and use is called a rhizome. Ginger is a 3-4 foot tall perennial with an almost bamboo-like appearance. It sends shoots or leaf stalks that have alternating leaves arranged on the same plane up from the rhizome.

Ginger is an old spice with a long history. It is indigenous to Asia from India to China. It has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic Indian and Chinese medicine. The Greeks and Romans used it to perfume their baths and viewed it as an aphrodisiac. Roman statesmen who felt their lives were threatened were rumored to drink herbal concoctions with ginger, cinnamon, frankincense, and myrrh to build up a tolerance to poison.

Ginger was an import commodity that was transported via the Silk Road from the East to the West. It was traded for livestock, silver, and gold. The distinctive flavor and odor of ginger come from three volatile oils gingeroles, zingerone and shogaols.

In medicine it is used for muscle pains, sore throats, as digestive aid, and to fight fatigue. These days you can find it in the cosmetic industry in bath salts and scented candles. The grocery store has it candied, preserved, dried, and fresh. The list of culinary uses are endless.

For a fun activity you can try and grow this tropical plant at home. Buy fresh ginger from the grocery store. Choose a well-branched piece that has lateral (side) buds. The buds will look like tiny horns. Plant it half in potting soil and half out and water carefully. Roots will form from the rhizome and the ginger will start to grow. Grow outside in the summer but remember to bring it indoors once the weather starts to cool.

Orchid Show abstractions have put Georgia on our mind.

Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Vote for Your Favorite Orchid

Nick Leshi is Associate Director of Public Relations and Electronic Media.

Orchid lovers, rejoice! The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern opens this weekend and runs through April 12. Visitors will have the chance to escape the winter blues and enjoy the thousands of orchids on display at The New York Botanical Garden.

The orchid is the world’s largest family of flowering plants with more than 30,000 naturally occurring species and tens of thousands of artificially created hybrids. Which is your favorite? Let us know by clicking on the Orchid Poll at right. Do you love the amazing shapes of the Oncidium or Paphiopedilum? Are you captivated by the stunning colors of Vanda orchids? Are you a Cymbidium or Phalaenopsis fan? Or does another species or hybrid capture your fancy? Vote now and let us know.

Brilliantly colored orchids and the lush tropical setting of a contemporary Brazilian garden await you at The Orchid Show, now in its seventh year. Miami-based landscape architect Raymond Jungles has created this contemporary Brazilian garden design, inspired by his mentor, the renowned Roberto Burle Marx. The design features fountains, pools, and colorful mosaics combined with graceful palms, delicate orchids, bromeliads, and other native plants of Brazil. The orchids have been selected by Marc Hachadourian, Manager of the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections at the Botanical Garden and Curator of The Orchid Show, and are featured throughout the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Let the orchid mania begin! Get your tickets today.