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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With the finish line of the Partners in Preservation competition in sight, we humbly ask that fans, Members, visitors and horticulturists alike rally around the Garden in support! We’re holding steady at third place for the moment, but with your help, first place is only a stone’s throw away. Voting for the NYBG each day from now until May 21 will push us that much closer to winning the privilege of restoring the Rock Garden to its original beauty.

As we enter the final week of the contest, those who grew up with The New York Botanical Garden seem better suited to explain the allure of the Rock Garden than we do, both from the perspective of long-time visitors and that of nature lovers. Naomi Shriber is one such person. Her years-long history of exploring Nature’s Showplace gives her a keen understanding of the Rock Garden and its importance as an iconic landscape at the NYBG. In turn, her art–swept with color and light–captures the essence of this garden’s central feature.
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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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Orchid Show abstractions have put Georgia on our mind.

Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen

We here at The New York Botanical Garden are thankful for you, our visitors. We’re thankful for the beauty that surrounds and inspires us all.  Thank you for being part of this amazing place.

Painting the Seasonal Walk (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)