Boston Flora

Month: May 2023

  • Sunday, June 11, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – French Blooms

    French Blooms, the first book by Sandra Sigman, award-winning floral designer and owner of Les Fleurs in Andover, presents arranging flowers in the French style—bouquets that are chic and romantic.

    As Sandra Sigman learned while living in Paris in her twenties, the French consider each floral arrangement a unique work of art filled with passion, movement, texture, and surprise. In French Blooms, Sigman shares the distinct design principles she learned from her favorite Parisian florist, and offers tutorials, with images and instructions for creating French-inspired arrangements for different areas of the home.

    Projects include a mantle display in ironstone gravy boats, compote-style dining room arrangements, powder room posies and beribboned hand-tied bouquets. With chapters on choosing the right containers, and flower care and tools, along with lush photographs, many taken in Paris, Normandy and Provence, this book is both inspirational and practical. It’s also a love letter to France—from Parisian sophistication to the simple grace of provincial life.

    The New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill program on June 11 from 2 – 5 will include a talk and a demonstration, followed by a book-signing.

    $15 Member Adult; $25 Adult (includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.nebg.org

  • Thursday, June 15, 6:45 – 8:00 pm Eastern – The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, Online

    From the creation of the planet billions of years ago to the present day, water has always been central to existence on Earth. And since long before the mythical Great Flood, it has been a defining force in the story of humanity.

    Leading scientist and water expert Peter Gleick traces the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource. Water has shaped civilizations and empires and driven centuries of advances in science and technology—from agriculture to aqueducts, steam power to space exploration—as well as progress in health and medicine.

    But the achievements that propelled humanity forward also brought consequences: unsustainable water use, ecological destruction, and global climate change. Gleick outlines how the lessons of the past can be the foundation of action designed to support a sustainable future for water and the planet.

    Gleick’s book, The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (PublicAffairs), is available for purchase upon registration for this Smithsonian Associates Zoom lecture on June 15 at 6:45 pm Eastern. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/three-ages-of-water $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers.

  • Thursday, June 15, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm – 26th Annual Rose Garden Party

    Join Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Honorary Event Chair, along with Boston’s business, arts, community, and philanthropic leaders, at the historic James P. Kelleher Rose Garden. The fundraising event will support free family programming in public parks throughout Boston. More than 3,000 rose bushes will be in peak bloom while you enjoy live entertainment, festive cocktails, dinner, and more. Don your finest garden party hat for a chance to win some fabulous prizes in “The Great Hatsby” Contest! $200. Tickets may be reserved at https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/rose-garden-party

  • Through June 11 – Portals, The Visionary Architecture of Paul Goesch

    Paul Goesch (1885–1940) produced one of the most inventive, peculiar, and poignant bodies of work to emerge from Weimar Germany. An artist and architect, he made both fanciful figurative drawings and visionary architectural designs. The latter, which drip with eclectic ornament and resemble little made then or since, are the subject of this exhibition, the first dedicated to Goesch’s work in North America.

    A century ago, amid the ruins of the First World War and the ferment that birthed Germany’s first democracy, a generation of architects sketched their visions for utopia. Goesch stands out among them for his formal invention, his kaleidoscopic color sense, and his playful and pluralistic embrace of history. He also stands out for his long struggles with schizophrenia, a condition for which he was institutionalized, and ultimately murdered by the Nazis. 

    This Clark Art Institute exhibition highlights the decorative portals and passageways that predominate in Goesch’s architectural work. These represent the artist’s metaphysical passages, as a spiritualist steeped in diverse religious and esoteric beliefs, as well as his altered psychological states. They also suggest Goesch’s liminal status between art and architecture, “sanity” and “madness,” the trained insider and the institutionalized “outsider,” category confusions that have helped erase him from history.

    Goesch is presented in this exhibition alongside his contemporaries, with works on view by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Käthe Kollwitz and architects Hermann Finsterlin and Bruno Taut. Portals is accompanied by the first English-language monograph on Goesch, co-authored by scholar Raphael Koenig, which considers its subject in terms of vibrant period discourses on art, architecture, and mental health.

    Portals: The Visionary Architecture of Paul Goesch is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Robert Wiesenberger, curator of contemporary projects. It is based on the Paul Goesch collection at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal. 

    This exhibition is made possible by Katherine and Frank Martucci. The show closes June 11, so plan your field trip to Williamstown now.

  • Thursdays, June 8, July 13, August 10, and September 14, 6:00 pm – 2023 Walking Tours Exploring the People and Places of Historic New Bedford

    Walkways: Exploring the People and Places of Historic New Bedford is a free in-person walking tour series from 6 pm – 7 pm every second Thursday in June, July, August and September. The series is made possible by the generous support of the New Bedford Local Cultural Council.

    On June 8, gather at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden, 396 County Street, for a tour highlighting people as well as places significant in the development of New Bedford. On July 13, meet at Custom House Square, New Bedford Whaling National Park, for tour focused on the impact of the Civil War on New Bedford, and New Bedford’s contribution to the war effort. Stops include the landmark sites within the Historic District. August 10’s event recounts the rise and fall of the textile industry and its continuing effect on New Bedford – this tour starts at the the Joseph Grinnell Mansion, 379 County Street. Finally, on September 14 starting at 3 pm, meet at the Rural Cemetery, 149 Dartmouth Street (the Dartmouth Street Entrance) for the Rural Cemetery Tour, which not only features the people interred but also the art and symbolism of their monuments.

    For details, visit the New Bedford Preservation Society website HERE.

  • Thursday, June 8, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Eastern – You are Here: Steve Curwood, Live and Online

    Executive Producer and host of NPR’s “Living on Earth” Steve Curwood will converse on June 8 with Boston Public Library President David Leonard as part of the 2023 Lowell Lecture Series You are Here: Climate Change and What’s Next. Their 60-75 minute conversation will followed by an audience Q&A from both the in-person and virtual audiences.

    Steve Curwood is the executive producer and host of “Living on Earth.” He created the first pilot of “Living on Earth” in 1990 and the show has run continuously since April 1991. “Living on Earth” is currently aired on more than 250 National Public Radio/Public Radio International affiliates and XM/Sirius Satellite Radio.

    This lecture is part of the BPL Lowell Lecture Series “You Are Here” on Climate Change and what’s next and produced by GBH Forum Network.

    This event will begin at 6pm ET in the Abbey Room at the Boston Public Library, 230 Dartmouth Street in Boston. Free. For tickets and registration, visit www.wgbh.org.

  • Friday, June 9, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Nothing But Trouble: The Annual Garden Party at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum

    Join The Rotch-Jones-Duff Board of Directors on June 9 from 6 – 9 for a speakeasy event in the historic garden, complete with whiskey cocktails, period music, and a password for entry. Included with your ticket are seasonal hors d’oeuvre, open bar, and great décor as well as fun and creative ways to support the Museum.  Proceeds from this event support the Museum’s educational, community outreach and preservation efforts. Deadline to purchase tickets: June 1. Purchase Tickets. The address is 396 County Street, New Bedford.

  • Thursday, June 8, 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm Eastern – Landscape of Change: Historic Acadia National Park, Online

    For centuries, the coastal location and diverse landscape of Maine’s Acadia National Park—featuring mountain summits, rocky shores, and wooded valleys—have drawn Indigenous residents, explorers, settlers, and visitors in search of beauty and inspiration. The juxtaposition of landscape has created a unique region and a haven for scientists. Their centuries of written records, specimen collections, and oral histories have provided baselines for understanding environmental change on Mount Desert Island and beyond.

    Smithsonian Associates hosts this online talk on June 8 at 6:30 pm. $20 for Smithsonian Members, $25 for Non Members. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/acadia-national-park Author and scientist Catherine Schmitt shares the story of science in Acadia, including how the records of university students helped inspire the conservation efforts which led to the formation of the national park, and how this legacy is helping scientists today document a rapidly changing world.

    Schmitt is the science communication specialist with Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park. Her book Historic Acadia National Park (Lyons Press) is available for purchase on registration.

  • Thursday, July 20 – Summer Dock Party: Save the Date

    The Esplanade Association announces the 12th Annual Summer Dock Party, this year to be held on Thursday, July 20.,set against the incomparable backdrop of the Charles River at sunset, as well as in the lovely Eliot Garden. The event has become a social highlight for Bostonians. Approximately 400 guests will enjoy a sunset dinner, drinks, and dancing at Community Boating, Inc. The funds raised at each year’s event will support the Esplanade Association‘s work to revitalize, enhance, program, and maintain the park, while providing the community with free summer programming. For complete details, visit https://esplanade.org/events/

  • Sunday, June 11 – 44th Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

    Come to one of the largest Asian-American cultural festivals in New England where local and out of state teams compete in exciting races. The festival also showcases many cultural performances such as lion dancing and taiko drumming, as well as art activities and demonstrations for all. The event also brings together many food vendors for everyone to try a wide range of cuisine from across Asia. This event is open to the public and welcomes persons of all ages and identities. Location is the John W. Weeks Footbridge, 933 Memorial Drive in Cambridge. For more information visit https://www.bostondragonboat.org/