This Weekend: Three Days of FRIDA KAHLO and Spring Beauty for Memorial Day
Posted in Programs and Events on May 22 2015, by Lansing Moore
NYBG is open on Memorial Day! So come enjoy the holiday weekend amid the Garden’s seasonal spring beauty, with three days of our festive weekend programs surrounding FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life. With plenty of tours scheduled to highlight what’s beautiful in spring, there are many ways to experience the Garden this weekend. Continue reading for the full details of this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday’s special tours, film screenings, and live music and dance.
Don’t forget to check out our Mobile Guide, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, to enhance your experience!
If you’re out of town this weekend, next weekend is our Annual Science Open House—a once-a-year glimpse into the groundbreaking research that goes on at NYBG, with special tours of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Steere Herbarium, and the Plant Research Laboratory.
Saturday, May 23
Textile Demonstrations: Women Artisans from Chiapas – 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Part of the FRIDA KAHO: Art, Garden, Life
Women artisans from Chiapas and Oaxaca demonstrate their age-old techniques in weaving and embroidery. Using the backstrap loom, these textile artists evoke ancient motifs with natural dyes, striking a beautiful balance between traditional and contemporary.
Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center.
The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert to learn about bird-friendly habitats, migrating species, and birds that make a permanent home at the Garden.
Native Plant Garden Tour – 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season
Live Music and Dance
1 p.m. in Ross Hall; 2–4 p.m. Garden Grounds
Take a journey through Mexico through the sound of each region’s music with Mexico Beyond Mariachi. After their indoor set, see them perform throughout the Garden.
¡Cámara, Acción! Mexican Film Series – 3 p.m.
In Ross Hall
Experience Frida Kahlo on the big screen with the Academy Award-winning film Frida, directed by Julie Taymor and starring Salma Hayek. Rated R, 123 minutes
Sunday, May 24
Textile Demonstrations: Women Artisans from Chiapas – 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Part of the FRIDA KAHO: Art, Garden, Life
Women artisans from Chiapas and Oaxaca demonstrate their age-old techniques in weaving and embroidery. Using the backstrap loom, these textile artists evoke ancient motifs with natural dyes, striking a beautiful balance between traditional and contemporary.
Native Plant Garden Tour – 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season
Live Music and Dance
1 p.m. in Ross Hall; 2–4 p.m. Garden Grounds
Take a journey through Mexico through the sound of each region’s music with Mexico Beyond Mariachi. After their indoor set, see them perform throughout the Garden.
¡Cámara, Acción! Mexican Film Series – 3 p.m.
In Ross Hall
Experience on the big screen a revolving series of compelling documentaries, shorts, and features takes you inside the vibrant culture of Mexico today, presented in partnership with Cinema Tropical.
Today’s Feature: LOS INSÓLITOS PECES GATO / THE AMAZING CATFISH
(Claudia Sainte-Luce, Mexico, 2013, 89 min.)
The Amazing Catfish, the debut feature film by Claudia Sainte-Luce, is a heartwarming tale of two unique women who bond while recuperating in a hospital Martha, a mother of four rambunctious and imaginative children, finds solace when she meets the younger woman, Claudia, and quickly the two build a strong relationship When Martha invites Claudia to live with her family, Claudia unwittingly takes on the responsibility of becoming a surrogate mother to Martha’s children.
Monday, May 25
Textile Demonstrations: Women Artisans from Chiapas – 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Part of the FRIDA KAHO: Art, Garden, Life
Women artisans from Chiapas and Oaxaca demonstrate their age-old techniques in weaving and embroidery. Using the backstrap loom, these textile artists evoke ancient motifs with natural dyes, striking a beautiful balance between traditional and contemporary.
Ross Conifer Arboretum Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
The Arthur and Janet Ross Conifer Arboretum is a historic, 15-acre collection of towering pines, elegant spruces, and mountain firs from around the world. These irreplaceable trees were among the first planted at the Garden, some as far back as the early 1900s. Join an expertly trained Guide for a tour of these exquisite specimens.
Live Music and Dance
1 p.m. in Ross Hall; 2–4 p.m. Garden Grounds
Take a journey through Mexico through the sound of each region’s music with Mexico Beyond Mariachi. After their indoor set, see them perform throughout the Garden.
Rock Garden – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
The Rock Garden is a 2.5-acre oasis complete with a pond and waterfall and featuring alpine plants from six continents. Join an expertly trained Garden Guide for a walking tour to see and learn more about these jewel-like plants.
¡Cámara, Acción! Mexican Film Series – 3 p.m.
In Ross Hall
Experience on the big screen a revolving series of compelling documentaries, shorts, and features takes you inside the vibrant culture of Mexico today, presented in partnership with Cinema Tropical.
Today’s Feature: H20 MX
(José Cohen and Lorenzo Hagerman, Mexico, 2013, 82 min.)
“Access to potable water is not a luxury but an essential human right. In the largest city in the Americas, though, Mexico City’s 22 million residents are faced with myriad geographical, economic and political obstacles to a consistent water source. H2O MX investigates the daily issues that the megalopolis faces, from dangerous detergent buildup in the clouds to farmers in Mezquital living off wastewater irrigation to Chalco citizens fending off perennial floods. It’s an unsettling but beautiful watch, and a persuasive one, reminding us that sustainability is more than just a buzzword—it’s a philosophy deeply linked to social justice in an urban setting. The film will leave any urban-dweller wondering how a place so massive and unwieldy can find a way to be sustainable.” – Margaret Mead Film Festival
Native Plant Garden Tour – 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season
Ongoing Children’s Programs
Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens – 1:30–6 p.m.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Garden beds are filled with plants featured in the favorite recipes of the chefs from Mario Batali’s restaurants. Kids can explore the gardens to solve Mario’s Menu Mystery game.
Dig! Plant! Grow! Salad Days – 1:30–6:00 p.m.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Plants and imaginations grow at the Howell Family Garden, where kids are allowed!—no, encouraged!—to play in the dirt. Display gardens, such as the Global Gardens and the Bean Tunnel or Salad Bowl, and daily interactive gardening activities delight and inspire. Drop-in activities end at 5:30 p.m.
Cooking with Frida – 2 & 4 p.m.
Part of the FRIDA KAHO: Art, Garden, Life
Hands-on activities in the Edible Academy’s Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden bring together children and their families to experience the colors, textures, smells, and tastes of Frida Kahlo’s Mexican kitchen. Cooking demonstrations feature recipes inspired by those Frida served to family and friends, using nutritious, garden-based ingredients. Visitors can explore and tend to the plant staples of Mexican cuisine growing throughout the Family Garden: beans, tomatoes, peppers, chiles, herbs, and more!
Frida’s Flora and Fauna – 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Part of the FRIDA KAHO: Art, Garden, Life
Visit the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden to experience the inspiration Frida Kahlo found in the natural world that can be seen and appreciated in her artwork. Throughout the Adventure Garden investigate plants and animals growing and living in New York City, using your senses as well as scientific tools to discover your own creative muse.
