Boston Flora

Tag: The Trustees

  • Through Sunday, September 12 – Sonya Clark: Monumental Cloth, The Flag We Should Know

    Through large-scale textile pieces, interactive experiences, and performance, this exhibition, on view at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln through September 12, proposes a shift in the national discussion around race and remembrance. The Confederate Flag of Truce is a simple dishcloth employed as the South’s flag of surrender at the end of the Civil War in 1865. Yet, as Clark shows, propaganda continues to make the more familiar Confederate Battle Flag into the enduring symbol of this history. The exhibition asks: what was surrendered and who had the privilege of surrendering? Did the truce hold? Clark’s works explore the color, texture, and ideology of the Truce Flag, offering avenues for reevaluating foundational American narratives of truce and surrender.

    DeCordova is pleased to present two concurrent exhibitions and a full slate of public programs relating to the art of Sonya Clark. A multidisciplinary textile artist and Professor at Amherst College, Clark’s work offers a profound encounter with race and the enduring effects of slavery in the United States. Click here to read about the companion exhibition, Sonya Clark: Heavenly Bound.

    Sonya Clark: Monumental Cloth, The Flag We Should Know is organized by the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. DeCordova’s presentation is coordinated by Sam Adams, Curatorial Fellow.

    The exhibition is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Amherst College, Agnes Gund, the National Endowment for the Arts, Goya Contemporary Gallery & Goya-Girl Press, Rotasa Fund, the John Meyerhoff & Lenel Srochi-Meyerhoff Fund at the Baltimore Community Foundation, and Judith S. Weisman.

    Additional support for deCordova’s presentation comes from the Coby Foundation, Ltd., the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, the Nathaniel Saltonstall Arts Fund, and the Roy A. Hunt Foundation. The exhibition is aligned with the Feminist Art Coalition. For complete information visit www.thetrustees.org.

    Credit: Carlos Avedaño

  • Thursdays and Saturdays, May 6 – May 22 – City Natives Plant Sale

    Pre-order vegetable seedlings and native plants sustainably grown in Boston. All purchases directly benefit our 56 community gardens in Boston. Members of The Trustees save 10% on all orders. Choose from items at https://shopthetrustees.org/pages/city-natives-plant-sale and add to cart. Select in person pickup at checkout, and City Natives (30 Edgewater Drive, Mattapan) as your pick-up location. Select a corresponding pick up time on Thursdays and Saturdays, May 6 – 22, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.

  • Rejuvenation of The Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens

    The Trustees of Reservations (Trustees) is pleased to announce a multi-year rejuvenation at The Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens (formerly Stevens-Coolidge Place) in North Andover. The gardens and house are currently undergoing work to create new garden rooms which complement the core historic gardens and house while also providing new experiences for visitors. The project also reorients the site with a new entrance on Chickering Road removing the need for pedestrians to cross Andover Street in order to enter the site. The Trustees created a master plan with Mikyoung Kim Design landscape architects and Maryann Thompson Architects for the historic garden site. The major features of the new plan includes a Gateway to the Garden from Chickering Road, landscaping which makes the historic house more accessible, and garden designs.  

    The plan builds upon the work done on this 91-acre property in recent years first by volunteers and more recently by a dedicated staff.  The previously restored gardens—including the rose garden, greenhouse, potager, perennial garden, and cutting garden—provide the estate’s primary link to the past. The plan preserves the overall architectural structure and American Country Place style, while adding new and expanded display garden spaces—featuring plantings of the latest ornamental species, varieties, and cultivars in contemporary designs—as well as creating native shrub and wildflower displays, and nature trails through the woodlands, fields, and meadows of the historic Ashdale Farm property. 

    As visitors approach the property twenty-two American lindens (Tilia americana ‘Redmond’) will flank the new entry lane, eventually lending shade to this now open expanse. In keeping with the flavor and feel of the historic gardens The Trustees is incorporating hedges as a space defining feature in new garden spaces. Between the wetland garden and the Cutting Garden a hedge of Winterberry (Ilex verticillata ‘Sparkleberry’). This small, but prolific, fruited cultivar will be maintained as a hedge of 4-5’ tall providing a backdrop for the wetland garden and a sense of enclosure for the Cutting Garden. Additionally, this hedge will provide both winter interest and repast for overwintering birds. 

    The new entrance and visitor orientation and the expanded garden displays will improve the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens as a gathering garden space for North Andover and surrounding communities. For history lovers, the spaces will also reveal more of the importance of the Stevens and Coolidge families in local and regional history.  

    A Spring Spectacular, running April 21 – May 16, 2021, launches the rejuvenation celebration. More than 165,000 bulbs will light nine display gardens with the exuberant colors of spring. In addition to the display gardens, visitors will enjoy a series of programs and events staged amidst the garden’s beauty.

  • Saturday, March 20, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Spring Bulb Floral Arrangement Workshop, Online

    Don’t wait for April showers. Join the Trustees and Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens in a virtual spring bulb arrangement class on March 20 from 10 – noon.

    Each participant will be introduced to different spring flower varieties, learn how to create a thoughtful garden-inspired floral arrangement in a light and vibrant color palette using basic floral design fundamentals and unique ingredients. Perfect for gift-giving or bring spring into your home after the long winter!

    Call to arrange floral pick-up for the Friday before the workshop.

    Space is limited. Pre-registration required via https://thetrustees.org/event/59398/ and will close 5 days before workshop date.

    Workshop will be on Zoom. Participants will receive Zoom link and login info the morning of the program.

    Trustees Member $60 / Non-Member $75

  • Saturday, March 20 – Monday, March 22 – 45th Annual Gardener’s Gathering, Online

    The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) announces the 45th Annual Gardener’s Gathering will take place March 20-22 online, focusing on how community gardens are not only food sources, but can become hubs of social activism and community support.  

    Hosted by the Trustees Boston Community Gardens and the City of Boston, the Gathering is free and has something for both beginners and skilled gardeners, as well as those curious to learn more about urban gardening. This year’s event will be headlined by Michael W. Twitty, award-winning chef and author of The Cooking Gene, who will deliver a special guest presentation on culinary justice, sharing knowledge around crops, and practicing integrated learning across intergenerational linguistic and ethnic spaces. 

    Continuing a long tradition of partnership with the City of Boston, the Mayor will kick off the Gathering on Saturday with a keynote address and present the Community Garden Awards to the “Most Valuable Gardener,” “Rookie Garden of the Year” and “Hall of Fame Garden.”

    Twitty will deliver his special presentation on Saturday at 11 am. A two-time James Beard award winning author, chef from Washington, D.C., and also a culinary historian, he draws on his African-American and Jewish cultural backgrounds to explore the ways that recipes, heirloom crops, and food shape and evolve with our identities and our history. He will speak about gardens as healing spaces and places to work through the issues of living in a multicultural democracy.

    Skill-building workshops are the backbone of the Gardeners’ Gathering. This year’s lineup will feature some garden basics for the many new gardeners who started last spring and summer: seed starting; composting; and how to save your own seeds. More advanced workshops will include no-till gardening, building your own self watering containers, and how to grow and use medicinal herbs. Young people from The Food Project will show participants how to build and plant raised bed gardens. For those looking to start a community garden, Shani Fletcher from the City of Boston’s Grassroots program will walk them through that process and share what resources the City has available. Building on the theme of Twitty’s talk, veteran community gardeners will share their tips on growing crops that are important to their culture and family history, including okra, callaloo, and sweet potatoes.

    Several sessions will focus on how gardens can be hubs for community organizing, activism, and mutual aid. Eastie Farm will highlight how they mobilize their site for meal distribution, community resources and advocacy efforts. Representatives from different community gardening organizations in New York will speak to how they’ve activated their gardens not just for growing food and building community among gardeners, but also channeling that into broader action on social and environmental justice. A discussion led by two experienced urban growers and educators from Boston will focus on how we can activate our city’s community gardens as hubs for social change.

    Free registration is available at www.thetrustees.org/gathering.

  • Saturday, March 20 – Tuesday, March 23 – Gardener’s Gathering, Online

    Kick off the gardening season with the Trustees’ annual Gardeners’ Gathering. The Gathering is free and open to all. This year’s virtual event will be spread out over several days and feature:

    • Workshops on gardening and urban homesteading skills for beginning and advanced gardeners
    • Interactive panel discussions on the role of gardens in community resilience and mutual aid
    • Keynote address and presentation of the Community Garden Awards.

    Program details will be linked here when available. Register and you’ll receive the program and Zoom links when available. If you’re able, please consider supporting this free event with an optional program fee when you register.

  • Saturday, March 20, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Spring Bulbs Planter Workshop, Online

    The Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens and The Trustees present an online Spring Bulbs Planter Workshop online on March 20 at 10 am. Don’t wait for April showers. Join the Trustees in a virtual spring bulb planter workshop.

    Each participant will be introduced to different spring plant varieties, learn how to care for and arrange a thoughtful garden-inspired bulb planter in a light and vibrant color palette using basic floral design fundamentals and unique ingredients. Perfect for gift-giving or bring spring into your home after the long winter.

    Space is limited. Pre-registration required and will close 5 days before workshop date.

    Call to arrange plant and supplies pick-up for the Friday before the workshop. Add-on $7 contactless delivery to Andover or North Andover address for Friday before the workshop between 10am and 5pm.

    These workshops will be on Zoom. Pre-registration required. Participants will receive Zoom link and login info the morning of the program.

    Due to the nature of this event all purchases are final and will not be eligible for refunds or transfers. Questions? Want to become a Trustees member and enjoy free or discounted programs? Contact kbibeau@thetrustees.org $60 for Members, $75 for nonmembers. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/59398/ Image courtesy of the Royal Horticultural Society.

  • Thursday, March 18, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Small Plants, Big Bang, Online

    Spring is an ideal time to be transplanting woody plants, and this Massachusetts Horticultural Society online lecture on March 18 at 7 pm will introduce you to new and old favorites that make the most of small spaces.  In the excitement to create a beautiful outdoor living space, many gardeners overplant (in number or size). Learn about the long-term consequences of overplanting, and how to avoid it by introducing the smaller gems of the plant world into your garden. Design your next garden bed with some unique native groundcovers, dwarf conifers, and more!

    Jen Kettel is an arborist and horticulturist serving the New England area. She is a recent graduate of the American Society for Consulting Arborists (ASCA) Academy, an advanced professional training for experienced arborists. As the owner of Radiant Leaf Consulting, she shares her passion for horticulture through the training she provides to both homeowners and green industry professionals.

    Currently, she is a consultant for The Trustees’ public gardens, and a guest lecturer and trainer at the University of Massachusetts, the Arnold Arboretum, and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). In addition, she collaborates with other professionals through volunteer appointments on the Landscape Advisory Committee for the Wakefield Estate and Arboretum and the Board of Directors at Stearns Organic Farm.

    Prior to starting Radiant Leaf Consulting in 2013, she worked as a staff horticulturist at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum for more than ten years, and served on the board of directors for the International Society of Arboriculture’s local chapter for five years.

    $26 for Mass Hort members, $32 general admission. Register online at www.masshort.org.

  • Thursday, March 4, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Vegetable Garden Planning, Online

    Want to grow a productive, healthy garden this year, while taking care of your soil and ecosystem? Join The Trustees and Boston Community Gardens online on March 4 at 6 pm to learn techniques for growing more food in the space you have and leave with a garden map and planting plan for the season! $9 Trustees members, $15 nonmembers. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/59448/

    If the fee is a barrier to your participation, please reach out to mdelima@thetrustees.org.

  • Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm – Virtual Rappaport Prize Lecture: Sonya Clark

    On February 25, beginning at 6:30 Eastern time, the DeCordova Museum presents a free virtual talk by acclaimed artist Sonya Clark, recipient of the 2020 Rappaport Prize. Clark (b. 1967, Washington, D.C.) is Professor of Art at Amherst College and best known as a fiber artist whose powerful work addresses issues of race, history, and culture. In her artwork, Clark turns everyday items such as hair combs and flags into aesthetic objects. Across all mediums, Clark challenges viewers to make connections between past and present, probing the roots of racial and national identities, and highlighting links between the founding of the United States, the institution of slavery, and contemporary practices of policing and incarceration.

    Created in 2000 and endowed in 2010, the Rappaport Prize is an annual art award presented by deCordova through the generosity of the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation. To register visit https://thetrustees.org/event/59354/