Daily Archives: March 25, 2011

Saturday, April 30 – Monday, May 2 – Art in Bloom

by

Celebrate spring at this annual festival of fine art and fresh flowers on April 30–May 2! See the MFA’s galleries transformed by fifty extraordinary arrangements inspired by magnificent works of art. This year a highlight of Art in Bloom is the Art of the Americas collection, on display in its spectacular new wing.

Art in Bloom is free with Museum admission; no reservations are required to see the floral arrangements and participate in most of the programs listed below.

Family Day on Saturday, April 30, features storytelling, performances, and activities for children. On the evening of Sunday, May 1, there will be a special members-only viewing of the festival with dining, shopping, and spotlight tours in the galleries. On May 2 from 5 to 9 pm, the Museum throws open its doors to the greater Boston community for a free Monday evening Open House featuring entertainment, flowers, and art. Free gallery tours and floral demonstrations will be offered from Saturday through Monday, and Elegant Tea will be served on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (reservations required for Elegant Tea; call 617-369-4204).

This year’s special events include an illustrated lecture and floral demonstration—as well as a flower arranging master class—presented by the renowned Nancy Clarke, former chief floral designer, The White House. Mrs. Clarke has created thousands of beautiful decorations and floral designs for six American Presidents and First Ladies, their families, and international dignitaries. For 30 years she designed everything from simple bud vases for the First Lady’s nightstand to elaborate, formal arrangements for state dinners. Her floral designs and holiday decorations have delighted kings and queens, heads of state, members of Congress and journalists, as well as thousands of White House visitors. Mrs. Clarke will be appearing on Monday, May 2.  For complete details, log on to www.mfa.org/programs/series/art-bloom.

Through April 30 – Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks

by

The Main Gallery of the Art Institute of Boston, 700 Beacon Street, Boston,  is honored to present this historic exhibition of photographs by Joel Meyerowitz entitled Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks,  organized by Aperture, presenting large format color photographs by master photographer Joel Meyerowitz, the first photographer to document New York City’s parks since the 1930s, when they were photographed as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s WPA program.

In this stunningly beautiful exhibition the viewer discovers the hidden pockets of wilderness that still exist within the urban environs of New York City. Meyerowitz received this unique commission from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to document, interpret, and celebrate one of New York City’s greatest legacies: the nearly 9,000 acres of parks in the five boroughs that have been left or returned to their most natural state. The images in this book are drawn from the thousands that make up the HP Archive of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

In creating this work, Meyerowitz has drawn upon his childhood memories of a New York with “green space—open and wild, alive with rabbits, migratory birds, snakes, frogs, and the occasional skunk… [That] gave me my first sense of the natural world, its temperament and its seasons, its unpredictability, and its mystery.”

JOEL MEYEROWITZ (born in New York, 1938) is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in over 350 international exhibitions. He is a two-time Guggenheim fellow, a recipient of both NEA and NEH awards, as well as a recipient of the Deutscher Fotobuchpreis. He has published over fifteen books, including  Aftermath: The World Trade Center Archive (2006). He lives in New York and is represented by Edwynn Houk Gallery. For more information call 617-585-6676, or email Andrew Mroczek at amroczek@aiboston.edu.

Tuesday, July 12, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm – New England Trees in Decline: The Science Behind the Story

by

David Orwig, Forest Ecologist at Harvard Forest, will speak in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesday, July 12, from 1:30 – 4 pm, on the topic of New England Trees in Decline: The Science Behind the Story. Since 1907, research has been underway at the 3,000-acre property of Harvard Forest, one of the oldest and most intensively studied forests in North America. Scientists, students, and collaborators at the Forest explore topics ranging from conservation and environmental change to land-use history and the ways in which physical, biological, and human systems interact to change our earth. Join Dr. Orwig for this special opportunity to learn about tree decline in New England and to explore ways to reduce and avoid further problems. Dr. Orwig will present information that details ongoing tree decline resulting from a variety of stressors including native and exotic pests and pathogens. Conifer species will be highlighted, but ongoing hardwood tree problems will be included as well. An emphasis will be given to identification of the problem, the mode of tree decline, and appropriate treatment options when applicable. Discussion will include pests such as hemlock woolly adelgid, elongate hemlock scale, red pine scale, Sirex wood wasp, spruce diseases, emerald ash borer, Asian long-horned beetle, and oak decline on Martha’s Vineyard.  Note New Date: Postponed from April 5.
Fee $20 Ecological Landscape Association and Arnold Arboretum members, $25 nonmember.  Co-sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Association and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.  Register online at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or by phone at 617-384-5277.