Daily Archives: April 13, 2023


Through Sunday, April 30 – Nest/Emerge

Berkshire Botanical Garden presents “Nest/Emerge,” an art exhibition, through Sunday, April 30. Featuring works by Elizabeth Cohen, “Nest/Emerge” will exhibit in the Garden’s Center House Leonhardt Galleries. The gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

In Nest/Emerge, Cohen explores relationships between natural and imagined forms through layers and patterns, re-contextualizing them. The works invite viewers to experience quiet moments and unexpected delights. Incorporating hand-thrown porcelain, mulberry paper, wasp nests, and other materials found in nature, Cohen’s art beckons the viewer to connect with the botanical world.

“I find inspiration everywhere: the natural world, microscopic images, landscapes, shells, bugs, bark, leaves, pods and seeds,” she said.

A studio potter living Wellesley, Massachusetts, Cohen explores cycles of birth, life and death, growth and decay, rhythm and change. She explores varied metaphorical nuances, such as family, security and comfort, through nesting sets. 

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Japanese Studies from Tufts University and a master’s degree in teaching from Simmons College. Her work has been exhibited in recent years at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston; The Mill Contemporary, in Framingham; Worcester Center for Craft; River Oaks Arts Center, in Alexandria, La.; and Fuller Craft Museum, in Brockton. For more information, visit BerkshireBotanical.org.


Thursday, April 27, 12:00 noon – 1:15 pm Eastern – Chasing Plants, Online

Join Chris Thorogood, deputy director and head of science at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, for a glimpse into the exhilarating adventures of a field botanist. The Smithsonian Associates Program on April 27 at noon Eastern time is presented on Zoom, live from the UK.

In his adventures across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Thorogood has clambered over cliffs and up erupting volcanoes and trekked through typhoons. Along the way, he’s encountered pitcher plants, irises, and orchids of unimaginable beauty. Thorogood brings his travels to life with his vivid paintings, shares details of hair-raising excursions, and explains the vital work he and other botanists are doing to protect the world’s plants.

The lecture is $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Thorogood’s book Chasing Plants: Journeys with a Botanist Through Rainforests, Swamps and Mountains (University of Chicago Press) is available for purchase through the registration link.