Boston Flora

Tuesday, October 22, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Landscape, Garden, and a Colonial Legacy

The Harvard Graduate School of Design presents the Aga Khan Program Lecture on October 22 in Gund Hall’s Piper Auditorium in Cambridge. Jala Makhzoumi will speak on Landscape, Garden, and a Colonial Legacy. The program is free and open to the public. Complete details may be found at www.gsd.harvard.edu

Jala Makhzoumi’s search for a grounded language on landscape architecture relies in great part on the search for Arabic terms that capture the complexity of the layered English meaning of “landscape.” Until then, we must contend with inadequate translations—and sometimes transliterations—that reduce “landscape” to scenery and narrow the professional scope of the landscape architect to urban beautification. Moving away from the “borrowed” landscapes in cities, we encounter “rooted” conceptions in rural cultures. These ideas have endured over time and are in tune with the regional ecology and cultural values. Here, we find many iterations of “landscape,” even if they can’t be captured in a single word. For example, the traditional house garden typology, the hakura, which originated in the eastern Mediterranean, combines production and pleasure and is grounded in a love of nature and caring for the land. Can these examples inform and inspire a contextualized landscape architecture in the Middle East and beyond?

Jala Makhzoumi is an adjunct professor of landscape architecture at the American University of Beirut, and Acting President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, the Middle East Region. Teaching and practicing in a region where landscape architecture is still an emerging profession has brought many challenges but freed Jala to engender a definition of landscape architecture that is responsive to the ecological, socio-cultural, and political context of the region. She applies this contextual landscape approach to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to framing human rights and citizenship and in her approach to postwar recovery.

Her publications include Ecological Landscape Design and Planning: The Mediterranean Context, co-author Pungetti, The Right to Landscape: Contesting Landscape and Human Rights, co-editors Egoz and Pungetti, and Horizon 101, a collection of paintings and prose, reflections on landscape and identity. Jala is the recipient of the Tamayouz Women in Architecture and Construction Award (2013), was profiled by the Aga Khan Women Architects (2014), received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools (2019) and is the 2021 laureate of the IFLA Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award for her outstanding contribution to education and practice in landscape architecture.

This event is co-sponsored by the GSD and The Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University.

Saturday, October 19, 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 6:30 pm, and 7:30 pm – Whispers from the Veil: A Victorian Séance Experience

Join The Gibson House Museum on Beacon Street on October 19 for a séance reenactment exploring the history of spiritualism and guided by renowned Boston medium Mina “Margery” Crandon (1888-1941), as portrayed by actress Laura Rocklyn. Crandon’s séances captivated audiences, sparking controversial and heated debates about the existence of paranormal abilities. This hour-long journey delves into the world of Harry Houdini, the legendary escape artist and illusionist who dedicated his life to exposing fraudulent mediums, and the dual persona of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, acclaimed author of Sherlock Holmes and a staunch advocate for spiritualism. As you tour the Gibson House Museum, you’ll experience the rituals and practices that intrigued and confounded Crandon, Houdini, and Doyle, unravelling the intertwined lives and beliefs of these three extraordinary individuals. You may choose from four time slots, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, or 7:30. $28. Register through Eventbrite HERE.

Monday, October 28, 6:45 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Julia Child’s Kitchen

Julia Child’s kitchen in her Cambridge, Massachusetts, home was a serious workspace and recipe-testing lab that exuded a sense of warm mid-century comfort. On display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for most of the past 20 years, museum goers have made it a top destination.

The kitchen contains more than 1,000 parts and pieces—tools, appliances, utensils, furniture, artwork, knick-knacks, books, and bits of whimsy—all reflecting Child’s status as an accomplished chef, gastronome, delightful cooking teacher, television trailblazer, women’s advocate, mentor, and generous, jovial friend.

Drawing on her new book, Julia Child’s Kitchen, curator Paula Johnson, one of the original collectors and keepers of the 20′ x 14′ kitchen, provides an intimate portrait of Child at home and remembrances of cooking with her and examines how the kitchen’s layout, design, and contents reflect Child’s philosophy of cooking as well as a period of social and cultural change in the United States.

Hear Johnson, curator of food history and director of the museum’s American Food History Project, discuss the beloved cookbook author and television star’s favorite place in the world—her home kitchen. In conversation with Jessica Carbone, a food writer and historian, she also examines how the legacy Child created in this iconic room continues to influence the ways we cook today.

This Smithsonian Associates Zoom presentation takes place October 28 at 6:45 pm Eastern. $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/julia-childs-kitchen

Saturday, October 26, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Mushroom Identification Walk at Stevens Brook

They can feed and enlighten you – or sicken and kill you. They’re mushrooms, the mysterious eruptions from an otherwise entirely hidden world of life and death. Join Opacum Land Trust, Holland Trails Committee, and amateur mycologist, Jonathan Kranz, On October 26 at 10 am on a woodland walk-and-talk where we explore the joys and hazards of the fungus among us, discovering:

The safest and most commonly found edible delicacies
The most dangerous toxic mushrooms in our region
How to safely pick, handle, and identify your mushroom finds
How mushrooms live and what roles they play in our habitats

Note: What we find depends on what’s out there, weather and climate permitting. Please take common sense precautions against insects (e.g., mosquitoes and ticks) and sunburn. We will meet at the trailhead parking area on the left-hand side of Blodgett Rd, Holland, MA. Cost $15. Register at https://www.opacumlt.org/events/mushroom-identification-walk-at-stevens-brook/

Thursdays, October 31 – November 21, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – New England Native Plant Design

This Berkshire Botanical Garden four-week course, held on Thursdays, Oct. 31 through Nov. 21, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., will help students better understand the principles and practices of ecological gardening with a focus on native plant communities. Students will learn the native plant palette, resources needed to identify these communities, and habitats and methods of introducing native plants into gardens. Identifying and controlling invasive plant species, in addition to restoring areas that have been impacted by invasives, will also be highlighted. Gardeners will learn how to enhance garden spaces with native plants that create sustainable and low maintenance gardens. This course will be taught by Bridghe McCracken of Helia Land Design.

Three years ago, HNN was founded by horticulturalist and landscape designer Bridghe McCracken, after the sale of Project Native, a non-profit where she was Chief Landscape Designer for ten years. The founding of HNN was a solution to continue her and Project Native’s mission to save unique Berkshire native plant seed and propagate plants from those seeds, to be sold to landscape design clients and the public, part of an effort to restore and expand the strained ecosystem in the Berkshires.

BBG members $215, nonmembers $240. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/new-england-native-plant-design

Saturday, October 19, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, & Sunday, October 20, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – American Craft Fair at New England Botanic Garden

Celebrate the artistry of craftsmanship. Mark your calendar and be prepared to immerse yourself in the finest handcrafted ceramics, prints, jewelry, weaving, and more. Entry to the fair is included with general admission. Your admission also gives you access to New England Botanic Garden’s gardens, trails, and Enchanted Forest exhibit. This event will be held indoors, rain or shine. For a list of participating artists visit https://nebg.org/american-craft-fair/ Pictured below – a customized fabric floorcloth from Kelly Fabric Creations.

Thursday, October 17, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Your Feet Against My Feet: Upside-Down Architecture

The Harvard Graduate School of Design presents the Kenzo Tange Lecture with Sean Godsell on October 17 at 6:30 pm in Gund Hall in Cambridge. The event is free and open to the public. Complete information is available at www.gsd.harvard.edu

Australia is hot and dry. Over 70% of the country is arid or semi-arid and sparsely populated. We are basically a giant desert about the same geographical size as the mainland US but with approximately the same population as greater Los Angeles. Despite our vast mineral wealth, water remains our most precious commodity, and fire and floods are our constant concern. For us, “the bush” is a mystical, mythical place. Australians know of the Outback, the Never Never, the Dreamtime, and the Songlines of our Indigenous communities. Here, “the bush” mediates between our colonial coastalism and the endless emptiness of the rest. These are dreamy, half-real skies.

Sean Godsell was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1960. He graduated with First Class Honours from The University of Melbourne in 1984. He spent much of 1985 traveling in Japan and Europe and worked in London from 1986 to 1988 for Sir Denys Lasdun. In 1994, he formed Sean Godsell Architects. His work has been published in the world’s leading Architectural journals, and he has lectured and exhibited in the USA, UK, China, Japan, India, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, and New Zealand as well as across Australia.

In July 2002, the influential English design magazine Wallpaper* listed him as one of ten people destined to “change the way we live.” His Future Shack housing prototype was exhibited at the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in New York in 2005 and the facade prototype of the RMIT Design Hub is on permanent display at the V+A Museum in London.

He has received numerous local and international awards, including the 2022 Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal. His work has been published in the monographs Sean Godsell (Electa, 2005), Sean Godsell: Tough Subtlety (El Croquis, 2013), and Sean Godsell: Houses (Thames and Hudson, 2018). In 2013 and 2014, he was visiting professor at the IUAV in Venice. He is adjunct professor of architecture at Deakin University. Photo below by Earl Carter.

Thursday, October 31, 2:00 pm Eastern- Visionary: Gardens and Landscapes for Our Future, Online

Photographer Claire Takacs and landscape architect and planting design expert Giacomo Guzzon will present their new book, Visionary: Gardens and Landscapes for Our Future. They will share stunning imagery and discuss key themes and findings, highlighting a selection of the book’s eighty gardens and public landscapes from around the world. These featured spaces showcase innovative, inspiring, and beautiful ways to work with our changing climate across diverse scales, climates, applications, and budgets. This Garden Conservancy online event takes place on October 31 at 2 pm.

$5 for members of the Garden Conservancy
$15 for General Admission

A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/education/

Monday, October 28, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – A Night with Koshari Mama

Experience the vibrant flavors of Egypt at A Night with Koshari Mama – Vegan Egyptian Delights, at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester on October 28 beginning at 6:30 pm. The Farm is thrilled to partner with Koshari Mama for this special event, where you’ll indulge in authentic vegan Egyptian cuisine. Between courses, enjoy the captivating artistry of a professional belly dancer. For tickets visit www.WLFarm.org

Wednesday, November 6, 6:00 pm – Brew Like a Viking

Ale is one of the oldest beverages produced by humanity, a method of preserving calories from otherwise perishable grain while also providing a way to make water safe to drink. The Scandinavian people brewed both ale and mead, but their ale was quite unlike the IPAs available today. For one thing, hops did not come into common use as a flavoring agent until the 11th century, well into the Viking age. Instead, they flavored their beers with gruit, a mix of herbs which they could collect locally. These included mugwort, heather flower, yarrow, and meadowsweet. In this Cambridge Center for Adult Education hands-on class on November 6, we will brew a beer, with your choice of herbs in the gruit, and send you home with a gallon of the brew. Course fees include a growler and gas lock, and all instructions to complete fermenting the ale. Instructor: Michael McComas. $95. Register at https://ccae.org/classes/offering/3946/brew-like-a-viking-in-person-new