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‘Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ The New York Botanical Garden
‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
The New York Botanical Garden is perhaps the most exotic and forward-thinking, theatrical living museum of plants and one of the most magnificent green spaces in all of New York City rivaled only by Central Park. In presenting their largest botanical exhibition ever from June 8 -September 29, 2019, the New York Botanical Garden has achieved a seamless meld with a globally renowned, award-winning Brazilian modernist artist, Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994).
‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
For this wonderful exhibit, members get to go free on Friday, Member’s Day. See links below to the symposium on Friday.
The influential Brazilian modernist, landscape architect, plant explorer and cultural giant, is deserving of a celebration of his prodigious design work which features examples of the lush gardens he created throughout Brazil and the world. His unique and innovative modernist perspective gave birth to thousands of landscapes and private gardens, including the famous curving mosaic walkways at Copacabana Beach in Rio.The exhibition exemplifies every aspect of his artistry with a curated gallery of his eye-poppying paintings, drawings and textiles.
‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ Untitled, 1970 by Roberto Burle Marx, Acrylic on canvas, NYBG Installation, LuEsther Mertz Art Gallery (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
The amazing Burle Marx was a maverick in highlighting the importance of environmental preservation and particularly exotic plant species some found only in Amazonia a good part of which is in Brazil. In the NYBG horticultural tribute to Marx, the exhibition team pulled in experts like Raymond Jungles (FASLA) his protégé who personally knew Marx and worked with him, and those like Edward J. Sullivan, Ph.D., the Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Art History and Deputy Director, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, who has studied Marx extensively and who continues to write about him.
Edward J. Sullivan, Ph.D., the Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Art History and Deputy Director, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, ‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) Raymond Jungles (white hat) foreground/ bottom of the photo with his design behind him (Carole Di Tosti)
Jungles used his expertise and personal experience working with Marx to design the exotic tropical feel and immense grandeur of the installations revealed in three stages of the exhibition. The first is the Modernist Garden with striking, patterned paths that lead through extensive curvilinear planting beds to an open plaza with a reflecting pool backdropped by a wall. This wall design is inspired by a Burle Marx installation in the Banco Safra headquarters in São Paulo. The entire vibrant black, white and grey walkway and colorful, sweeping plantings are framed by spectacular palm trees that tower to their natural heights, many contributed by Jungles’ own personal collection.
Explorer’s Garden ‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
The Explorer’s Garden in the conservatory showcase (not the Palms of the World Gallery whose dome is being refurbished) features the tropical rain forest plants among Burle Marx’s favorites as a bone fide “plant nerde.” These include those he adored, particular exotics which he constantly used in his installations to inform Brazilians about the natural world’s smackdown of diversity in their home country. With this he was constantly building up Brazilian’s sense of home pride.
Water Garden, ‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
Water Garden, Staghorn Ferns-a Burle Marx favorite, ‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
Bromeliads-a Burle Marx favorite, Water Garden, ‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
The Water Garden evinces Burle Marx’s use of plants from a wide variety of tropical regions in his Brazilian designs and throughout the world. The reflecting pool is the natural habitat of temperate water lilies which are blooming in the variety of pastel colors. And it will include the more exotic water lilies that only basque in warm waters of Florida and the equatorial regions; these are of darker purple hues, etc.
‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
Making tiles to display, a la Roberto Burle Marx, ‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
Burle Marx’s Art and Garden Lifestyle Philosophy are extensively covered through film, and exhibits of his paintings, drawings, textiles and more all inspired by Brazilian culture. You will find this extensive exhibit in the Art Gallery and on the fourth floor of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library. This section of the exhibit reflects his work from the final 30 years of his career from 1964 to his death in 1994) and shows not only his evolution as a person but also as a titan who beautifully integrated all the finest of the cultural and wholistic elements of an individual rooted in every aspect of his country’s well being. In this section you will see the apotheosis of Burle Marx, the print maker, ecologist, naturalist, artist and musician as well as innovator whose modernist landscape architecture whose designs of parks and gardens lifted Brazil’s reputation and culture as an important contributor on the international scene.
‘Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
Engaging public programming showcases the sights and sounds of Brazil and its lively contributions to music and dance evoking Rio de Janeiro, the “Cidade Maravilhosa” (“Wonderful City”) that Roberto Burle Marx called home and inspired his life and work. Expect to experience the dances, music, foods of Brazil at the NYBG for the length of the exhibition which runs from June 8 through September 29, 2019.
Untitled (1968) by Roberto Burle Marx, Acrylic and industrial dye on fabric,’Brazilian Modern” The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx,’ NYBG Installation (June 8-September 29) (Carole Di Tosti)
Details about the exhibition’s diverse and engaging schedule of public programming for all ages is available here:
https://www.nybg.org/content/uploads/2019/06/NYBG_Brazilian_Modern_02_Programming.pdf
Information about the Brazilian Modern Interactive Mobile Guide, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is available here:
https://www.nybg.org/content/uploads/2019/06/NYBG_Brazilian_Modern_03_InteractiveMobileGuide.pdf
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New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10458 United States
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Roses are Blushing at the New York Botanical Garden, Soon to Peak
Peggy Rockfeller Rose Garden, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Among its great treasures at the New York Botanical Garden, is The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. The rose garden has around 700 different roses and over 4000 plants.
Peggy Rockfeller Rose Garden, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Some of them are historical and others are hybrids that have been created and named and as in the case of the white rose called “The Divine Miss M” (named for Bette Middler) or “Purple Rain,” named in celebration of rock singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, Prince, his titular film and record album. Indeed, all of the roses planted have a fascinating story about its genesis or its development.
Peggy Rockfeller Rose Garden, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
When I visited for Rose Weekend, which was this Saturday and Sunday, I lucked out. Stephen Scanniello who is the curator of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden and world renowned author and expert on roses was present checking the roses for black spot (a fungal disease rampant in hot, humid weather that causes defoliation) and other issues. He graciously filled in for a guide who had to leave and he shared some of his vast knowledge about roses and specifically the ones at The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. He took us on a tour of a few of the unique plants that are found in the garden which you must look for when you come to visit.
Stephen Scanniello, Rose Curator, Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
For those unfamiliar with the superlative Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, Stephen did mention a bit of its history which I will briefly summarize in this article and which you can find more information about HERE.
Before the rose garden settled at this present site, there were three other iterations. Two rose gardens were by the conservatory. One was there in 1907 and the other garden was opened in 1972 in front of the Conservatory and opposite the Perennial Gardens. Both didn’t last and the rose garden location that initially was selected in 1916 was returned to by 1986, 70 years later. Why this particular spot for the roses?
Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
That was the location that renowned landscape designer Beatrix Farrand chose when founder of the NYBG Nathaniel Lord Britton asked her to design a new, larger, world class, rose garden. Farrand had built up her reputation by studying privately with Sprague Sargent, director of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. To get design ideas she visited the great gardens of Europe. At the time Nathaniel Lord Britton spoke to her about a rose garden for the NYBG, Farrand had already designed the White House Garden in Washington, D.C. and many others.
Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Farrand chose the site where the garden stands today, a low lying “valley” near the barns of the old Lorillard estate where people believe that a rose garden pre-existed on the site, though there are no records to verify this. In 1918, Farrand’s rose garden opened. Her original design was influenced by the well known rose garden Roseraie du Val-de-Marne (or Roseraie de L’Haÿ) in L’Haÿ les Roses, France. The offset triangular-shaped formal garden she intended to establish included iron fencing framing the garden and enclosing the roses within, as well as a central gazebo.
Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, Rose Weekend, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
However, the iron fencing and gazebo could not be included because of a lack of money. Nevertheless, John R. Brinley and John S. Holbrook designed the classic stone stairway leading from the top of the hill to the rose garden. In the later decades additional renovations were made until 1960 when to consolidate the formal gardens in one area, it was decided that the rose garden should be moved near the conservatory. By 1972 this third rose garden iteration was designed and planted in front of the conservatory. The other rose garden across from the Lorillard barns was abandoned.
Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Never say never again! Beatrix Ferrand’s garden design arose like a phoenix from the ashes of the old rose garden when in 1985, NYBG Board member Beth Straus saw the original Farrand design plans. Inspired, Straus convinced David Rockefeller to donate one million dollars to complete Farrand’s vision with the gazebo and the fencing and restore the rose garden to the location she selected for it. In 1988, after an irrigation system was put in, the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden opened to the public in honor of David’s wife, Peggy, a horticulturist and conservationist.
Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, Easy on the Eyes-disease resistant roses, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Stephen Scanniello mentioned some important facts about the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden and its collection. First, the location is a difficult one because it’s in a depression with higher elevations all around. As a result, there isn’t the greatest air circulation which roses require. Also, there is the moisture and humidity and heat that can cause fungal diseases. Since the NYBG is decreasing its chemical spraying, they are pumping up the condition and quality of the soil so that the rose bushes will be healthier and won’t be susceptible to insects and diseases. They are also putting in plants that are disease resistant and require no spraying because they are not liable to be taken down by black spot and other problems. Nevertheless, Stephen monitors each of the plants carefully and if plants have too many demerits against them, for example, foliage issues, beginnings of fungal issues, then the plant has to be pulled and another one put in.
The Divine Miss M., Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Some highlights Stephen pointed out concerns the types of roses grown in the garden. Many are hybrid tea roses that have a lovely scent and have been created for the pleasure of the celebrities after which they are named. Stephen Scanniello showed us the beauty of The Divine Miss M, the “decadent bloom” that is named for the fabulous American singer, songwriter, actress, comedian and film producer who is still going strong at 73-years-old, Bette Midler.
The Divine Miss M., NYBG, Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
It is a creamy white large-flower hybrid tea rose which has a scent of myrrh and lime. The new rose, “The Divine Miss M” has been described as whipped cream with overtones of antique white with a slight golden hue.” The rose celebrates not only Bette Midler’s life’s work and advocacy, but is in honor of the 40th anniversary of her 1979 breakout film, The Rose.
“Julie Andrews,” Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
A few years ago, there was the celebration of the “Julie Andrews” a large flower hybrid tea rose that is a deep pink.
Violet’s Pride, Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Along with the Julie Andrews, Stephen Scanniello pointed out that the “Julie Andrews” rose is planted near the rose named “Violet’s Pride,” a rose named for the character Violet Crawley played by Maggie Smith in the show Downtown Abbey. Two dames are planted near one another in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden; reportedly Julie Andrews thought that was delightful.
Stephen Scanniello, Rose Curator of NYBG, holding the green rose, NYBG, Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden (Carole Di Tosti)
Another fascinating story Stephen Scanniello told us is about the rose you will find by the entrance, facing the gazebo, on your left. It is the green rose. Yes a green rose. Through a mutation of a regular looking pink rose called “Old Blush,” (a derivative of a species called Rosa chinensis) which originated in China and was brought to Europe and the U.S. in the 1790s, a green rose was formed in the 1900s. People propagated it by grafting or cutting off pieces of stems and re-planting them to produce new plants. The green rose was formed when it never went through the normal genetic switches causing the male and female reproductive parts in the right order in the parent plant. The green rose’s development gets “stuck” at the sepal-making step and it is the sepals that form the “petals” of the green rose.
Green rose bush, NYBG, Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
The mythology surrounding the green rose is that Quakers-abolitionists during the beginnings of the movement and after the Fugitive Slave Act was passed and into the period up to the Emancipation Proclamation, Quakers planted the green rose in their front yards as a signal that they were a part of the Underground Railroad network and were a “safe house” that would offer protection and the way to continue on to Canada for runaway slaves. This is a difficult fact to verify. However, in Baltimore there was a Quaker family that claimed that this story was true.
Green Rose, NYBG, Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden (Carole Di Tosti)
Stephen Scanniello told us that the roses are late this year because of the damp and colder spring weather. At this point the roses are at 65% until they peak so you still have perhaps a week or so depending on the weather. However, even if the roses are not at their peak, you should visit to see the celebrity roses. Another tip we heard about is the rose scents come out toward the evening, and the roses with the greatest scents are on the fencing at the back of the garden where the climbing roses are on trellises.
Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, gazebo, NYBG, Rose Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
At the opening of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden in 1988, Carl Totemeier, NYBG Vice President of Horticulture related the mission statement that has made the most sense for the rose garden when he said, “This [garden] will never be finished. We will always be striving to develop a collection with the best of old and new roses that are both attractive and well adapted to the site.” To see the best that the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden has to offer this season, go when the roses are at or near their peak and then follow the roses throughout the summer until they stop blooming and are cut back in late September. But even the remnant of the rose garden’s structure and setting in October is amazing. The NYBG lists the time for the roses from April – October.
To see the events happening at the NYBG and the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden daily as well as to follow the rose tracker, CLICK HERE.
Bar Car Nights at The New York Botanical Garden, a Fun Event
Bar Car Night, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
The Garden in the evenings is like a magical mystery tour. Whether you go into the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory or travel the lit paths through the Garden or sample the delights at food trucks, the Bronx Night Market or food booths, there is always something to see and do during every season. Specifically the evening displays during which you may buy alcoholic drinks and must have proof of ID, for the 21 and older crowds are incredible fun with friends.
Bar Car Nights, packed crowd before entering 27th The Holiday Train Show, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
During the Holiday Train Show and Winter Season, there are The Bar Car Nights. This year they take place from 7-10:30 p.m. In the month of December the dates are 22, 28, 29. And in January, the Bar Car Nights are on the 5th and 12th.
Folks chowed down at the food booths from tacos to vegan offerings. Bar Car Nights, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show (Carole Di Tosti)
Food booths and fire pit, Bar Car Nights, NYBG 27th Holiday Train Show (Carole Di Tosti)
The Bar Car Nights events which are a feature of the Winter Season have expanded to include more activities. I went last night which was perfect. The rain stopped and it was actually warm, a blip in the weather. The individual doing the ice sculptures commented that the ice was melting more quickly. Last year when I went with friends it was below freezing, 10 degrees in the New York City area which was experiencing a very cold December. Yesterday, it was in the 50s.Weather weirding and Climate Change. Oh, I forgot…that doesn’t exist “nationally.”. But in New York, the entire state governance is consonant with the California, whose leadership has come out in support for the Paris Climate Accord.
Holiday Train Show 2018, NYBG, Bar Car Nights (Carole Di Tosti)
Regardless of the weather, the show goes on. Last night, there was a large turn out and the crowds were thrilled with the offerings of the Holiday Train Show, the the musical activities in the Pine Tree Cafe and more. The food booths gave up heavenly aromas of fried chicken, barbecue, tacos and Vegan dishes. The booths were packed when I left around 9:00 pm, though the party was just getting started. And the bar section and fire pit was enjoyable, even though folks didn’t necessarily need to warm their hands in the freezing cold.
27th Holiday Train Show, Bar Car Nights, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
The evenings in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are mystical realism. I love the sounds of the trains, the shimmering lights, the jazz and pop music in the background and especially the lights coming from the interiors of the New York botanical replicas. All of seems mysterious and the whispering of the foliage in the evening and its aroma and aura is special for a plant enthusiast like me.
One World Trade Center and Lower Manhattan Exhibit, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, Bar Car Nights, 27 NYBG Holiday Train Show (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, One World Trade Center display and Oculus, Bar Car Nights, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool (Carole Di Tosti)
Lighting the way for friends a dancer with hoops, 27th Holiday Train Show, NYBG Bar Car Nights (Carole Di Tosti)
Whether you enjoy chatting with friends sauntering through landscape with a wine or other beverage in your hand, or really dig the intricacies of the replicas, it’s a fun time. Last night there was a mixture of couples and friends groups. It seemed that the entire Bronx community was out and about. The Garden is a huge focal point of the Bronx and indeed, parents, children, educators, all community groups in the area make use of the Garden’s programs. Some of the couples last night were young and they came with oodles of friends. Older couples I’ve seen mostly on Member Day. However, last night, the age range was considerable. The draw is a night to get away from kids and hang with friends, be entertained with some cool music with a few drinks in hand and seeing the beauties of the season.
Hell’s Gate, GW Bridge, Bar Car Nights, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show (Carole Di Tosti)
What’s not to love? Some of the pictures of the splendid Holiday Train Show are above, and the activities are below. Others I’ve posted elsewhere on my Social Media pages. Enjoy.
At the food booths there were crowds. Bar Car Nights, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show (Carole Di Tosti)
Bar Car Nights ballerina, 2018 Holiday Train Show, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Bar Car Nights, NYBG 27th Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination, Ice Sculptor (Carole Di Tosti)
Dueling Pianos at the Pine Tree Cafe, Bar Car Nights, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show (Carole Di Tosti)
On Saturdays, there is the Bronx Night Market, Bar Car Nights, 27th Holiday Train Show (Carole Di Tosti)
The 27th Holiday Train Show will be at the NYBG until January 21st. It is open Tuesday – Sunday and Monday, December 24 (3 p.m.) and January 21, 10 a.m. -6 p.m. The Garden will be closed on December 25 (Christmas). Extended hours, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays until January 19, Friday Decmber 26-January 1. For all programming go to the website. And above all become a member to enjoy the NYBG year round. For tickets to The Holiday Train Show and BAR CAR NIGHTS, this evening, go to their website.
New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show 2018
27th NYBG Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination, Historic Pennsylvania Station (building demolished 1964), (Carole Di Tosti)
Regardless of how busy I am, I always attend the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, NY. One of the most well attended of their shows along with their Orchid Show and special summer exhibits, The Holiday Train Show holds lustrous wonders. And whenever possible before the start of the show, I enjoy speaking with Applied Imagination personnel. For they have conceptualized, designed and created the innovations for the NYBG Holiday Train Show since its inception.
Thomas the Tank Engine steaming around the Queens County Farm replica (1772) at the NYBG 27th Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
3000 foot display at NYBG 27th Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Now in its 27th year the show’s expansion continues. Indeed, more trains have been added. Also, the materials used to perk up the displays appear fresh and more vibrantly colorful than ever.
Applied Imagination Studios are in Alexandria, Kentucky, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, (Carole Di Tosti courtesy of the NYBG introductory film)
Crafting a replica from organic plant parts and other organic or biodegradable materials, Applied Imagination Studio, 27th Holiday Train Show at NYBG (Carole Di Tosti courtesy of the NYBG introductory film)
The introductory film, referencing Applied Imagination Studio workshops in Alexandra, Kentucky, discloses a behind the scenes look. From Alexandria, the miniature botanical sculptures rise from their humble plant-part beginnings.
(L to R): Leslie Salka, Laura Busse Dolan, Paul Busse, Applied Imagination Studio in Alexandria, Kentucky, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (photo by Carole Di Tosti-courtesy of the NYBG introductory film for the Train Show 2018)
In addition to showing the workshops at Applied Imagination Studio, staff and the team of the NYBG (for example Karen Daubmann, Todd Forrest) and for Applied Imagination (Leslie Salka and Laura Busse Dolan) explain which replicas are their favorites. Indeed, each year Applied Imagination adds excitement and grandeur to their New York collection. This year the newest replicas shine in the reflecting pool of the Palms of the World Gallery.
Replicas of the ferry and buildings in lower Manhattan, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, (Carole Di Tosti)
Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, Manhattan ferry replica detail, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
The best way to see The Holiday Train Show is to visit a few times. One time, visit with family. Especially bring children who will adore the variety of trains from trolleys, to passenger liners, to freights, locomotives and diesels. And come on Member Day. Then you will receive a 20% discount in the Garden Shop to spend on gifts.
Replicas: Elephantine Colossus, Luna Park Gate, Coney Island, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Replica detail, Elephantine Colossus, Coney Island, banana gourd tusks, seed decorations, citric eyes, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Also, meander through the conservatory taking your time, if there aren’t crowds. Appreciate the intricate detail of each replica. Compare the plant parts to architectural structures, like roofs, cornices, columns, bricks, slate, stone and more. Try to identify what plants are used. Look for the moss, the leaves, the shelf fungus and the gourds. Look for the seed pods and acorns.
Stephan A. Schwarzman Building replica, NY Public Library, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, shelf fungus used on the steps of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building replica, NY Public Library, 27th Holiday Train Show, NYBG, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Lion statue detail carved from a seed pod, Stephan A. Schwarzman Building , NY Public Library, 27th Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
On the New York Public Library, the lions faces are carved from pods. Look for the berries used for color on Poe Cottage. You will perhaps take in only 1/100 of the detail present. And then you will probably forget it by the time you visit the show next year. Why? The various replicas will be arranged in completely different displays. And there will be new innovations and new replicas with their maverick conceptualizations. If there is one thing about the Museum quality spectacles with the NYBG exhibits, they are always unique with tremendous variety. It is almost impossible to keep track unless you have photos or maps of the display changes each year.
Applied Imagination craftspersons design the replicas to miniature scale and they, like engineers attempt to get the proportions correct. That takes consummate drafting skills. Constructing with precision, they follow archived historic photographs. What most amazes me is their assiduous attention to biological forms, for example how a banana shaped gourd might follow the shape of an elephant tusk. Or how the breadth of shelf fungus would simulated a roof. Truly, through years of experience, they have mastered the art of replica-making and have brought us to the edge of heaven by using plants which you would never imagine could entertain and delight in the way they use them.
Poe Cottage replica, NYBG 27th Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail Poe Cottage replica, berries, floral petals, herbs, sticks, NYBG 27th Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Building completed 1956-1959, Model completed, 2001), the roof is made of shelf fungus (Carole Di Tosti)
Only when I move slowly do I appreciate the botanical replicas of buildings that once sat in high esteem during New York’s Gilded Age. These buildings so expensive to maintain, owners demolished (Senator William Andrews Clark House). This made way for modern apartment buildings to house the growing uban population.
Museum Mile replicas, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
The Jewish Museum replica (The Felix M. Warburg House),, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Manhattan Bridge in the background, various mansion replicas, NYBG 27th Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
In the case of The Samuel J. Tilden House (The National Arts Club), The Morris-Jumel Mansion and The Felix M. Warburg House (The Jewish Museum), un-affordable grand mansions became museums, funded by non profit organizations. By profoundly, carefully viewing the structures in the Holiday Train Show, you take a stroll back into the history of New York. And what an amazing and precious stroll this is, for it inspires your imagination to reflect about the past. And this reflection grounds you front and center in the present.
Rockefeller Center replica, Channel Gardens, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail Rockefeller Center, Channel Gardens, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018
Angel detail of plant parts, Rockefeller Center, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Applied Imagination and the NYBG team collaborate for months beforehand. After they agree on the innovations and drawings and their placement in the conservatory, then begins the next phase. They construct the replicas from botanicals (sticks, fungus, moss, leaves, gourds, bark, acorns, nut shells, pepper flakes, etc.). Some of these plant parts come from around the fields of Alexandria, Kentucky. Other bits and pieces (various gourd parts, etc.), come from suppliers.
NYBG Holiday Train Show, Museum Mile Manhattan, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Park Avenue Armory (Building completed 1881, Model completed, 2008), NYBG Holiday Train
Detail, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
NYBG Holiday Train Show, 2018 detail, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
After the construction Applied Imagination ships the replicas to the NYBG. Then additional fun begins. Within the span of two weeks, volunteers and staff set the stored and new models in beautiful plantings. Indeed, the arrangements accommodate permanent conservatory trees, etc. And a variety of completely new floral plantings (orchids, violets, bromeliads, cyclamen, Christmas Cactus, lilies, etc.), and various ferns, bamboo, ivy, pothos, dracena, Norfolk Island Pines and other shrubs and greenery volunteers and staff position to complement the 25 gauge model trains sweeping down 1/2 miles of railroad track.
Replica of the Terminal Warehouse 27th and 12th Manhattan, 1891, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Bedford Hills Station, Hudson and Harlem Line, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Bedford Hills Station replica, Hudson and Harlem Line, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Quaintly, the trains peek out from low hanging branches and water displays. Then they emerge and whip around the tracks like racers. In the 3000 foot expansion a myriad number and type of trains fly above on trestles and bridges.
360 degree display, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Grand Central Station replica, 2018 Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Locomotives, freights, trolleys and passenger liners whoosh around The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory replica. And they bustle through replicas that include Grand Central Station and historic Pennsylvania Station (demolished 1964). What a fantasy wonderland! It is an unparalleled treasure for New Yorkers, Manhattanites and tourists who come to the city for the holidays.
A vista of NYC bridge replias (Hell’s Gate, GW Bridge, Brooklyn, 5 in all), NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
As the piece de resistance this year, the Holiday Train Show presents the birthplace of New York City, Lower Manhattan as its star attraction. Of course the central feature is One World Trade Center. Branches form the sides of the building and the emphasis is on freedom and a resurrection from the destruction in 2001. Also in the Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, you will find the replica of the Beaux-Arts Battery Maritime Building. Gliding in stasis on the pool surface are two vintage ferry boat replicas (Bronx and Manhattan).
Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, replicas of the Woolworth Building, One World Trade Center and Maritime buildings NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Another view, lower Manhattan scene, ferry replicas, maritime buildings, Woolworth Building, One World Trade, 2018 NYBG Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Upside down reflection, One World Trade replica, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail of the Oculus replica, One World Trade Center, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, the Oculus replica at the foot of One World Trade Center, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Other buildings include the Battery Park Control House, the 60-story Woolworth Building, the Terminal Warehouse (1890), and the crown jewel replica, One World Trade Center. One World Trade remains the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the sixth-tallest building in the world. Additionally, the unique Oculus replica is placed at the foot of One World Trade Center. The Oculus that opened in 2016 connects 11 lines of NYC’s subways, New Jersey’s PATH rail system and the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal.
Lower Manhattan Display, Bronx ferry and buildings, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Replicas of ferry and buildings lower Manhattan, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
For specific programming, go to the New York Botanical Garden website. To sum up look for Bar Car Nights on select Fridays and Saturdays (December 15, 21, 22, 28, 29; January 5, 12). Warm up around the fire pits in the Leon Levy Visitor Center. Indeed, for the artist in you, watch live ice-sculpting demonstrations. Or sing along with dueling pianos in the Pine Tree Cafe and listen to roving a cappella groups.
Finally, enjoy former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins for a special poetry reading. Collins will select 12 winning poems by students submitted to the Kid’s Poetry Contest. The poems will be displayed at NYBG during the Holiday Train Show. And the student authors will share their work during this special reading on Sunday, December 16, at 2 p.m. For more information about how to enter the Kids’ Poetry Contest visit http://www.nybg.org/poets
The New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show 2018 ends on 21 January.
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The 27th New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show Splendors
Replica of Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, NYBG, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
27th Holiday Train Show, 3000 ft. 360 degree extension, New York Botanical Garden, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Once a year The New York Botanical Garden gets dressed up in the reds, greens, whites, sparkles, golds and silvers that echo all that is bright for the wintry weather and coming cold and snow. Though some dislike all the fuss of the holidays, I enjoy it, because I visit family and friends. Thankfully, I don’t have a tree and pets to wreck it.
27th New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
27th NYBG Holiday Train Show, Metro North, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
I help decorate my family’s trees and enjoy the celebration of present giving especially with my young nephews and nieces. For folks like me who tangentially celebrate with friends and family, but don’t do a lot of decorating at home, the New York Botanical Garden is the place to go to feel festive. And what makes the Garden especially celebratory during the holidays is their annual train show.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
A vista of Bridges, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Each year various innovations are made. Displays change. Sometimes, I find I lose whole areas of New York City replicas (Coney Island, Central Park, Museum Row,) that normally are featured together. When I don’t see them, I wonder if they have been saved and stored for next year. But then I find them again in a different section of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory than they were the previous year. Indeed, there appears to be an infinite variety of placements of the over 175 replicas that compromise the permanent Holiday Train Show collection that collaborators Applied Imagination and NYBG create for one of the most well attended events the Garden offers.
Elephantine Colossus, Luna Park Gate, Coney Island, 27th NYBG Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Thousands of first-time tourists, visitors and members attend each year, participating in Bar Car Nights, the Holiday Tree and Minorah Lighting Ceremony, the Annual Bird Count and much more. However, the central themes of winter reside in trains as a throwback of the past. Ironically, they are the most mechanized feature of the train show along with the colorful lights interspersed throughout. For Founder Paul Busse eschewed using the plastic villages that came with model trains. When he decided to make his architectural “villages” of organic plant parts to husband the environment and throw down the “fake,” it was a boon. For every model, ever bridge, every house, gate, feature he and later others on his staff designed, use as their building blocks plants: twigs, bark, acorns, gourds, fruits, seeds, leaves, ferns, fungus, moss, nuts, nut shells, plant fiber and much more.
Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, One World Trade Center and Maritime buildings NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail of the Oculus, One World Trade Center, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
The Oculus at the foot of One World Trade Center, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Both Applied Imagination who creates the stupendous replicas of iconic New York City buildings and the New York Botanical Garden team work like Santa’s elves for two weeks. During that time they set up the more than 25 HG model trains that skip and breeze over 1/2 mile of track non-stop during the daytime when the Garden is open through 6 pm when it shuts down. Then the trains glide from 7-10:30 pm on select Bar Car Nights, their headlights glinting through the dark mystery of the Garden’s dense, exotic evening atmosphere.
Lower Manhattan Display, Bronx ferry and buildings, Palms of the World Gallery and Reflecting Pool, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
What those who have been attending the show for a while and certainly the newcomers do not realize in this 27th year of the Holiday Train Show is its evolution. Each year buildings have been added to the collection. Paul Busse always strives to forge out and tackle the different and unique, so he and his creators in Applied Imagination’s Alexandria, Kentucky Studio plan ahead with conceptualizations. After decisions in collaboration with the NYBG team, then the drawings are finalized. Then the construction begins and all is completed around the time the Garden staff strikes down the fall exhibits in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the soil is regraded and plants chosen and prepared to feature the Holiday Train Show’s old and newly fabricated models.
Exquisite detail of the seeds, flower petals and twigs that comprise the stained glass windows of St. Patrick’s Cathedral replica, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018 (Carole Di Tosti)
Laura Busse Dolan, owner of Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
The journey from start to finish is a prodigious one, but the Applied Imagination team headed up by owner Laura Busse Dolan are practiced artisans. Clearly, they enjoy giving children and adults pleasure which one can easily assess just walking from one end of the conservatory to the other listening to the kids screams (daytime exhibit) and seeing adults relaxed amble with drink in hand through sections of the conservatory during Bar Car Nights. Those nights or Member Days are a great time to reconnect with friends, lovers and partners while enjoying the splendors of the Garden’s wintertime loveliness.
New York Public Library replica, NYBG Holiday Train Show 2018, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
The festive and popular Bar Car Nights on select Fridays and Saturdays from 7-10:30 pm, December 15, 21, 22, 28, 29, January 5, 12. for adults over 21. Have a bite to eat fro the Bronx Night Market Holiday Pop-up, There are fire pits in the Leon Levy Visitor enter. Watch live ice-sculpting demonstrations, sing along to favorite tunes with dueling pianos in the Pine Tree Cafe and listen to roving a cappella groups as they guide you through the Garden.
Join former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins for a special reading of poems on December 16 at 2 pm. New this year as part of the Kids’ Poetry Contest and in partnership with the Poetry Society of America, Collins will select 12 winning poems to be displayed at NYBG during the Holiday Train Show. And the student authors will share their work during the special reading.
For special programming during the Holiday Train Show 2018, go to the New York Botanical Garden website.
‘Daniël Ost’s Triumph at The NYBG Orchid Show’
Palms of the World Gallery, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daytime, designed by Belgian floral artist, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Orchid Dancers, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost, Belgian floral artist (Carole Di Tosti)
Palms of the World Gallery, anterior view, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost, floral artist (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 NYBG Orchid Show (daytime) Daniël Ost, Palms of the World Gallery (Carole Di Tosti)
Orchid Dancer, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost, Belgian floral artist (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, Palms of the World Gallery, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show (daytime) Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Palms of the World Gallery (daytime, detail) 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Dutch floral artist Daniël Ost is world renowned. No stranger to Europe or Japan, Ost’s large-scale sculptures have been likened to Anish Kapoor, Claes Oldenburg and Andy Goldsworhy. If you google any of these individuals and Ost and check out their websites, you will be astounded at their botanical artistry of beauty, light and grace. Indeed, in Belgium where Ost grew up and initially trained, he has been referred to as “the Picasso of flower arranging.” And France hails him as “the international star of floral decoration.”
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost, Belgian floral artist (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost, Belgian floral artist (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost, Belgian floral artist (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Belgian floral artist, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
While those in the United States may not be familiar with Ost’s brilliance others might because of their network of friends and their extensive travel. However, those in the multi-million dollar flower industry and those staff, botanists, horticulturalists who make their work homes in global botanical gardens know of Ost’s reputation. The New York area is fortunate to witness Ost’s magnificent living floral designs at the New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show until 22 April.. His installations are one-of-a-kind spectaculars that take your breath away.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost, Belgian floral artist (Carole Di Tosti)
It is a rare opportunity to see Ost in “living color.” And unfortunately, his botanical showcase at the New York Botanical Garden will only remain until next week. As for Orchid Evenings? There are only three evenings left after tonight.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Whether you see them in the main galleries of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in the daytime or in the evening, you will note how the changing light impacts the elements used to encapsulate the exotic delicacy of the thousands of orchids Ost and his team selected for the annual Orchid Show displays.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Unlike other designers commissioned for various NYBG shows, Ost took a hands-on approach to his installations. He traveled back and forth to the Nolen Greenhouses to specifically select a multitude of orchids and companion plants based upon their color, size, form, texture, delicacy, hardiness and more. His vision for each of his installations he effected with the assistance of his team Marco and Damien (both from Belgium) and the NYBG staff and Marc Hachadourian.
Cymbidium, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 NYBG Orchid Show (daytime detail) Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Marc is the Director of The New York Botanical Garden’s Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections. He is the main orchid curator who assiduously watches over the plants under his care. For Marc to give Ost free reign in the greenhouses indicates the level of respect both men have for each other in their passion and dedication to plants and flowers. During the weeks that Ost and his team spent in the Bronx working labor intensive lengthy days to scale up the thousands of orchids of myriad varieties with their lively companion counterparts (crotons, draceana, ferns, palms, ficus, etc.) they closely bonded with the staff.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
On the Press Day I visited, I spoke with Daniel and Damien. And both mentioned that despite the amazing pressure of their schedule, they loved the Garden and were thrilled with the array of plants they were able to employ in their unique installations.
Vandas, detail, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show (daytime) Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Damien assured me the clear plastic tubing, a trending element of floral design that reflected the light and cohered with the glass of the Enid A. Haupt, was a medium that best suited individualizing each orchid variety and color Daniel selected. One only has to view the monumental and glorious sculpture in the Palms of the World Gallery to understand how. Trained by Noboru Kurisaki, a prominent grand master of Ikebana, Ost learned from him that a single flower used the right way can have more impact than thousands of flowers bound together en masse.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show (daytime) Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
You will not find walls of the same colors or types of orchids clumped together in a wall. Instead, every orchid variety is surrounded by a distinct and particular other orchid variety. What does thread together in minute details is a similitude and harmony of color. And then when you think you have picked out the harmonious hues, you discover that there are multitudes of contrasts.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
The orchid selection brought the teams to configure the largest orchid display ever used for any of the NYBG Orchid Shows. That alone is amazing when you understand that Ost and the teams made sure to individualize each orchid from its brothers. What do remain in greater combinations of the same plants are the companion plants. But these have been selected to highlight and emphasize the vast varieties of color, shape and orchid forms.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Phalaenopsis (moth orchid), Vandas, Miltonia, Cymbidium, Cattleya, Dendrobium, Paphiopedilum, Oncidium (dancing-lady), Brassia, Odontoglossum are some of the varieties. The orchids in the show span from those that are rare which you will see in the glass case, the Garden’s permanent collection. Whether shipped in from tropical climes, or raised in the Nolen greenhouses, whether popular pinks and fuschias, or the multi-faceted, multi-hued hybrids, the diversity of plants is amazing.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (daytime detail) (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Thus each orchid in the show has its own defined space, its roots either allowed to hang down or placed within a moss medium so they might thrive as their variety would in the wild. This is especially manifest and clearly seen in the Palms of the World Gallery and in the walkway of the seasonal gallery as one saunters up to the 360 degree showpiece gallery of the conservatory whose permanent plants spiral upward 100 feet or more to the domed ceiling.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
In this particular gallery, Ost and his team used green bamboo in a circular round which mirrors the lattice work of the Enid A. Haupt. The bamboo and the tubing are at meet and are employed together in the passageway leading to either domed space.
2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Thus, at either end the larger galleries of the Enid A. Haupt manifest their own design akin to their structure. Thus, Ost’s vision in employing these implements for the installations represent a celebration of the architecture of the conservatory. Indeed, function and design whimsically become one. And the elements used to reflect Ost’s vision serve as the platforms upon which the orchids shimmer with vibrancy, magnificence, singularity and loveliness.
Orchid Dancer, 2018 NYBG Orchid Show, ‘Orchid Evenings,’ Daniël Ost (Carole Di Tosti)
Words and photos cannot do justice to viewing the theatrical horticultural spectacular in all its vivacity. You must see it for yourself. However, here are more photos which will reveal the amazing installations in the daytime and evening “light” motifs.
There is programming surrounding the 2018 Orchid Show. Saturday, April 14 is an Orchid Evening which begins at 6:30 pm and lasts until 9:30 pm. The Garden is mysterious and exotic in the evenings. The Enid A. Haupt is transformed to an ethereal, romantic tropical setting where anything seems possible.
The show ends on 22nd of April. Next weekend is the last Orchid Evening of the season. Best to get tickets for the weekend immediately. With the nicer weather, the crowds show up and the tickets sell out. You will be glad you didn’t miss Daniël Ost’s splendid vision for orchids at this year’s show. For all programming CLICK HERE.
New York Botanical Garden ‘Holiday Train Show’ Lights up The Season
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory replica completed in 2014, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
The Holiday Train Show is always a spectacular reaffirmation of what is beautiful, shining and creative in the human spirit. This year seems more so against a backdrop of tumultuous, grimy political scandals and redundant “breaking news” moments that jar the nerves and chill one’s core. I heartily appreciate an escape from the unsettling thesis of chaos to the antithesis of children’s screams of laughter and twinkling, colorful Holiday lights of assurance. The felt innocence is more lovely than the low details of worldly goings on. And I am uplifted to remember that throughout the labored struggles of men and women who strive to retain power, there is something more worthy and spiritual in the human soul that the season reminds us to seek and direct our attention to.
All trains (more than 25 varieties) are G-scale, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ by Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Passenger train speeding over Brooklyn Bridge, above the Coney Island exhibit, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Locomotive with engineer in at the helm, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Thus, for me especially this year, and for the friends I visit with, The Holiday Train Show in the New York Botanical Garden is a sanctuary of refinement, a haven of peace. Amidst the lovingly arranged pageantry, the plantings strike poses between the stunning miniature replicas of New York’s icons, historical landmarks and stupendous structures of the gilded age, made into museums or torn down because they were too expensive to maintain.
Senator William Clarke mansion (Clarke’s Folly) the end of the Gilded Age, finished 1911, demolished 1927, created by Paul Busse and his team at Applied Imagination, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, Senator William Clarke’s mansion, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ by Applied Imagination and Paul Busse (Carole Di Tosti)
Window detail of leaves, twigs, berries, bark on the replica of Senator William Clarke mansion, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
As I note the complexity of the constructions from plant parts as tiny as a barely seed and as large as a gourd, and wander slowly in amazement at the specificity of creation, solace is delivered in cupfuls and happiness in bushels. I take picture after picture, trying to stir my memories about the location of the recreations in previous years.
Replica of Poe Cottage, Fordham in the Bronx, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show, Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
If I take my time without rushing to the show finale, my memory serves me. The Poe house is situated more prominently this year on the opposite side of the central theatrical showcase. I am glad because I am writing a play about Poe and I feel akin to this replica. For example, I know that Poe’s wife Virginia Clemm died of tuberculous in Poe Cottage which is in Fordham in the Bronx a few miles from the Garden. The replica is modest, a no frills structure which is a miniature facsimile of the real Poe Cottage. The Poes were impoverished for all of their marriage a terrific irony considering just one of Poe’s short handwritten letters brought in almost $100,000 at auction a few years ago.
Replica of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (NYPL), NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ by Applied Imagination team (Carole Di Tosti)
Coney Island Exhibit, Brooklyn Bridge, Wonder Wheel, Luna Park and more, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Coney Island display, Elephantine Colossus, Cyclone, train of plant parts, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Elephantine Colossus Hotel replica, Coney Island Display, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show,’ by Applied Imagination team and its founder Paul Busse (Carole Di Tosti)
I see that the New York Public Library (Stephen A Schwartzman building) is up front and center as it should be. The Fifth Avenue Manhattan library with the stentorian lions is under renovation and receiving technological updates that will be completed by 2020. I note that the Coney Island display is prominent with the Elephantine Colossus, Wonder Wheel (now a film of the same name by Woody Allen about Coney Island and gangsters), The Steeple Chase, Luna Park, the Cyclone (with moving parts) and more. These structures backdropped with waterfall and reflecting pools are encircled by sauntering trains lazily enjoying their pace in the 360 degree central showcase of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Last year they were in the Palms of the World Gallery.
Coney Island display, Wonder Wheel, Lighthouse, Brooklyn Bridge, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show,’ by Applied Imagination team (Carole Di Tosti)
As I appreciate the Elephantine Colossus so carefully and brilliantly created out of variously shaped gourds and other plant pieces, I consider Leslie Salka’s (Director of Applied Imagination whose creations we love) comments about the construction of the replica of the Elephant shaped hotel. The unusual structure was an example of the period’s novelty architecture, designed by James V. Lafferty to bring in tourists. The seven-story building, which served as a hotel, concert hall and amusement bazaar, stood above Surf Avenue from 1885 to 1896 when it burned down. Leslie decided they should include the hotel in the Coney Island display in memoriam of Topsy the female elephant who was electrocuted in Coney Island’s Luna Park in 1903.
Elephantine Colossus Hotel replica at Coney Island display, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Mushrooms, gourds in detail of Elephantine Colossus Hotel replica, Coney Island display, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti
Detail of plant parts, Elephantine Colossus Hotel replica, Coney Island display, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show,’ Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Topsy’s demise had been all but forgotten until someone noted a film had been made of her electrocution and clips of it were included in a Ric Burns documentary about Coney Island. After Burns’ film the subject of Topsy’s death has been featured in popular culture and media and has been the subject of poetry, fiction, songs and journalist Michael Daly’s book about her. Contrary to belief there is no purported direct association of Topsy’s death at Luna Park with Thomas Edison. Though Edison did electrocute animals 15 years earlier during the War of Currents when he was attempting to demonstrate the dangers of alternating current, he was not responsible for Topsy’s death. The Elephantine Colossus replica is gorgeous and the backstory of Topsy’s life and death, the preservation of the film clip, and her rise to celebrity is a notable piece of history found in The Holiday Train Show if you enjoy digging deeper.
Macy’s sign is made up of white barley seeds and cayenne pepper flakes, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Novelty car, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Painted butterfly on novelty car, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show,’ Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
What I particularly appreciate about The Holiday Train Show is that there is something for everyone young and ancient. Children see the trains and love to hear and watch them. Adults see the history, and depending upon their day and mood go deep or gloss over the displays. No one sees all of it during each visit. If you glean 20% of the entire production which pays homage to history, trains, New York, the five New York City boroughs and their landmarks interspersed fancifully throughout the Garden’s botanical kingdom, you will have walked away with a treasure.
Angel of the Waters replica, Central Park display, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show,’ Applied Imagination (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail berries, mini pine cones, seeds, leaves, twigs, bark, pods, Angel of the Waters, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
The Show is overwhelming. So one may jaunt through it appreciating the overarching dazzling spectacle and briefly glance at the replicas, taking a few moments to identify the name of a particularly striking recreation. Or you may more closely observe, inspect and take a leisurely microscopic view of how each of the replicas was assembled ingeniously with twigs, varieties of flower and grain seeds, pine cones, stems, leaves, nut shells, acorn caps, pods, gourds, varieties of moss, mushrooms, flowers, herbs, spices and more.
streetcar over Brooklyn Bridge, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
And the trains? Use your phone video feature to capture the particularly cool passenger trains or trolleys flying over the Manhattan or Queensboro bridge high above your head. Most NYC bridges (five out of the nine) are featured. Or snap the cute novelty cars painted with butterflies or other insects trolling back and forth over the tracks. All of the trains are G-scale, whether ancient or modern, whether locomotives and freight cars or diesel engines, electrified passenger trains, trolleys and streetcars. There are over 25 full fledged train set ups clanging, whirling, zipping, steaming, chugging, purring and careening over 1/2 mile of track situated between rocks, over bridges and water features, through tree stump tunnels and under low hanging tree branches throughout the conservatory.
Trains coming out of historic Penn Station, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Hudson Valley train station, since demolished, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti0
Historic Penn Station demolished in 1963, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
In the 3000 foot 360 degree display whose extension was added a few years ago, you’ll see a grand memorial to traindome. You’ll note various New York historical station replicas that are throwbacks to a time when travelers stayed at inns before they journeyed to relatives. These have since been torn down to make way for flat-looking, rectangular, unappealing buildings signifying what has been lost to progress. You will note Grand Central Station saved by Jacqueline Onassis and the magnificent station that developers couldn’t wait to get their grimy hands on, the Beaux Arts beauty, built in 1910, Pennsylvania Station. The Applied Imagination replica is a memorial to history, grand architectural effort that remains timeless though Penn Station itself was torn down in 1963. But there the miniature building stands for us to admire at The Holiday Train Show. Just consider that for a second or two.
Palms of the World Gallery, mid-town Manhattan display, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
The Palms of the World Gallery exhibit is the glorious conclusion that sends you out into the sterling night of stars if you go to Bar Car Nights (December 22, 23, 29, 30, January 6, 13) with a date, friends or are just slumming by yourself. Or if brushing by the palm fronds with goodbyes to Garden staff dressed as train engineers you slip from the tropical paradise into the bright, cold atmosphere and sunshine with a beaming smile on your face because the final exhibit is just…just. Well! You’ll have to go and see the show and come up with your own descriptors. Marvelous? Rising? Scintillating? Neat? Memorable? Illustrious?
Ellis Island display, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, GE Building replicas renovated as new. NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Palms of the World Gallery, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Palms of the World Gallery, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
St. Bartholomew replica, Palms of the World Gallery, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Statue of Liberty drape is made of bamboo, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
It’s all of that and more as the display in the large reflecting pool glimmers and splits into double images which lengthen the buildings and set them skimming across the water. This segment in particular memorializes why Manhattan is its own tribute to itself: skyscraper-particular, iconic, architecturally astonishing, mesmerizing, glowing. Whether its Rockefeller Plaza, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the GE Building, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, St. Bartholomew’s Church, this is what tourists, natives and even botanical adventurers love about New York City. Take some time to especially view the last four replicas listed here, all of which are new.
Reflections in water, Empire State Building replica, St. Bartholomew replica upside down, Palms of the World Gallery, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Upside down reflections, Queensboro Bridge in mid-Manhattan display, Palms of the World Gallery, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
I was struck by the extravagant details and was rather gobsmacked at the illusion which is created in this gallery. These buildings effect their namesakes, but are built with completely organic, sustainable materials, unlike their reality of concrete, glass and steel. The effect will draw you in as you remember the essence of the Applied Imagination’s vision to set a monument to nature’s ineffable and infinite botanical variety and the wonder of at plants’ creative usefulness as building blocks for humans. Read that sentence again, to ken the full meaning. Heart!
Mid-town Manhattan display, another view, Palms of the World Gallery, NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show’ (Carole Di Tosti)
Laura Busse Dolan, owner of Applied Imagination, daughter of Paul Busse. NYBG ‘Holiday Train Show,’ Palms of the World Gallery (Carole Di Tosti)
There is no leaving the Palms of the World Gallery after the first minute of arrival. You leave when you receive the full effect of the display upon your senses and decide that The Holiday Train Show is a celebration of the best of who we can be as creators and lovers of nature’s bounty of which we are an integral part.
For all the intriguing programming during the Train Show, from the Evergreen Express and family events, Billy Collins poetry reading and more, go to the Garden website HERE. For BAR CAR NIGHTS, HERE. To learn about Paul Busse artistic visionary, founder and 25 year creator of Applied Imagination replicas and themes with his team click HERE.
Chihuly and Pumpkins at New York Botanical Garden’s Fall Weekend
Chihuly Exhibit, ‘Sol de Citron,’ NYBG 2017, Dale Chihuly, Chihuly Nights (Carole Di Tosti)
Last weekend at the New York Botanical Garden was my last time to say goodbye to the Chihuly Exhibit. I have visited the exhibit a number of times, but each time is fresh and different. One reason is because Dale Chihuly’s outdoor sculptures refract and reflect the changes in sunlight during the changing seasons, from spring to fall.
Stunning Chihuly chandeliers at the NYBG Chihuly Exhibit, Dale Chihuly, New York Botanical Garden, Chihuly Nights (Carole Di Tosti)
Dale Chihuly’s art glass for sale in the NYBG Garden Shop, Chihuly Exhibit, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Dale Chihuly’s ‘Macchia Forrest’ (2017), ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ NYBG summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Dale Chihuly’s ‘Macchia Forrest’ (2017), another view, Chihuly Nights, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Another reason is because no matter how closely you look at a piece, you will notice something unique every time. Perhaps it is the way the colors merge into each other on some pieces or the way the glass curves or projects starkly upward. With the sculptures that are housed indoors at the Enid A. Haupt conservatory, for example Macchia Forest, 2017, Chihuly’s vibrant colors startle in multi-colored tulip-shaped cups arising from iron-like stems in the conservatory’s indoor pond and fountain gorgeously arranged with hanging flowering plantings. One could remain there all day or in the evening with a drink during Chihuly Nights. The rich ambience delights and the sounds of water splaying in the fountain soothe. As with all of Chihuly’s sculptures thoughtfully arranged in or around water, the reflections dazzle and enthrall with their multi-dimensional views.
Chihuly Exhibit, ‘Sapphire Star,’ 2010, NYBG 2017, Dale Chihuly (Carole Di Tosti)
‘Dale Chihuly’s ‘Sapphire Star’ 2010, NYBG 2017, Chihuly Nights (Carole Di Tosti)
I will sorely miss this exhibit which stirs the imagination toward infinite and graceful fantasies that one conjures up in brilliant dreams. I have become used to catching the falling sunlight at dusk as it stirs the effervescence and evolving, sparkling, deep blue, shimmering hues on Sapphire Star 2010, NYBG 2017 amidst the darkening shadowy green of the landscape and deepening black shapes of the trees. Sapphire Star 2010, installed at NYBG 2017 is my favorite. I enjoyed seeing it in high noon brilliance or in the surrounding darkness enhanced with a few ground lights along the Garden path that is out of the Chronicles of Narnia. My imagination runs wild. And if I were indeed alone without anyone near me, I would expect a unicorn or centaur to jump out from behind a tree and admiringly gaze at this groundling star whose other-worldy beauty beckons.
Chihuly Exhibit, ‘Float Boat and Koda Studies #1 & 2,’ Chihuly Nights, NYBG 2017 (Carole Di Tosti)
A closer view! Chihuly Exhibit, ‘Float Boat and Koda Studies #1 & 2,’ Chihuly Nights, NYBG 2017 (Carole Di Tosti)
A closer view!! Chihuly Exhibit, ‘Float Boat and Koda Studies #1 & 2,’ Chihuly Nights, NYBG 2017 (Carole Di Tosti)
This past weekend I also strayed beyond the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden to visit the Native Plant Garden where Chihuly’s Float Boat and Koda Studies #1 and #2 herald all that might be accomplished when the creative spirit is allowed to run wild amidst a natural platform. Again, Dale Chihuly combines contrasting shapes, sizes and forms. There are the comforting huge glass balls of every shining hue imaginable displayed in a an oblong vessel held up by a flowing water pond.. In the nighttime, the view widens its depth. Which is is solid? Which is fluid? And indeed physics will explain that both are double images of each other for all contain infinitesimal atoms which spin at incredible speeds and play havoc with what appears to be real but which is something else entirely. A true mind-blast and pageantry of excellence.
Guitar player accompanying our views in the Native Plant Garden, NYBG, Chihuly Nights (Carole Di Tosti)
That evening a guitar player shared his repertoire as we hailed the Chihuly’s Koda Studies # 1 and 2. Chihuly designed these specifically for the exhibit, honoring his original Artpark installation designed with friend Seaver Leslie in Lewiston, New York in 1975. That significant installation launched Dale Chihuly as a glass artisan and he has been flying into glory ever since.
Walking to the Native Plant Garden we encounter spooky pumpkins on the way. NYBG, Chihuly Exhibit, Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Spooky pumpkins, NYBG Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
As we sauntered along the path viewing Chihuly’s muted dark fuschia, red and yellow glass panes pinging off the lengthy water display in the Native Plant Garden, our senses were regaled. The native grasses, wild herbs, shrubs and dying foliage exuded gorgeous aromas released in the humid night air. There was a sense of freedom and exploration I felt. Tell me where else in New York City can one travel safely along landscaped, tree-lined paths in the nighttime breathing clean air with heavenly scents except at a NYBG evening exhibit.
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Giant Pumpkin Weekend, NYBG (Carole DI Tosti
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Giant Pumpkin Weekend, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Giant Pumpkin Weekend, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Giant Pumpkin Weekend, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Giant Pumpkin Weekend, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Pumpkin grown by the Synders, from Bessemer, Pennsylvania weighs 1,261 pounds, NYBG Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
During the daytime I walked amongst the still-green trees which are here and there beginning to prepare for fall and winter. I stepped into the fun-filled Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and watched the kids enjoy themselves everywhere they went. The Children’s Garden was packed. The humongous pumpkins patiently sat as children scrambled on top of them and families posed for pictures. Each of the gigantic specimens were record-breakers. (see below for stats) Families sought and found enormous pumpkins, gourds, and squashes – it was also Giant Pumpkin Weekend, and families came to see these incredible natural wonders.
Conquering a record-breaking pumpkin, (2,269 lbs) from England at NYBG Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Conquered! Record-breaking pumpkin, (2,269 lbs) from England at NYBG Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Kids and parents took pictures standing on them, climbing them, sitting on them, and standing next to them. Giant Pumpkin Weekend, arranged in collaboration with the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, showed off the growers’ skills at nurturing the hugest (I know that’s not a word), most fantabulous (or that either) pumpkins. Each of these record-breakers from around the world weighed in at more than a ton.
How these pumpkins’ DNA allows them to expand boggles the mind. Importantly, growers come to share how this happens in the growing process during Q&As.
Recapping the record-breakers and their growers for 2017.
This year’s largest pumpkin traveled from Sumner, Washington, bringing with it the North American all-time record. Nurtured by Joel Holland, the “Great Pumpkin” weighed in at 2,363 pounds.
The second-largest pumpkin ever grown came from the United Kingdom, with that country’s all-time record of 2,269 pounds. Ian Paton and Stuart Paton grew this lovely.
Largest squash grown, 2,118 lbs, NYGB Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Finally, at the entrance of the Leon Levy Visitors Center you will find the largest squash grown in the world this year. This all-time record-breaker grown by Joe Jutras hails from North Scituate, Rhode Island. It weighs in at 2,118 pounds.
Pumpkins everywhere in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, NYBG, Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Pumpkins everywhere in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, NYBG, Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
Pumpkins everywhere in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, NYBG, Giant Pumpkin Weekend (Carole Di Tosti)
If you missed this annual fun event the weekend of 21-22 October, don’t worry. The display continues through 31 October. And if you can’t make it this year, next year the Garden will be hosting amazing record-breaking specimens again. You know they will be even larger.
Another fun event at the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden involved costumes and goodies. Children dressed in costumes visited the Whole Foods Market® Trick-or-Treat Trail. Since Whole Foods offered the treats, you know they had to be nutritious and delicious. No candy corn could be found anywhere on those Whole Foods Market tables. Additionally, children could decorate a bag to collect their goodies, which included a “children’s sized” baby spider plant anxious to receive a new home.
Reptile wrangler with Sheldon a beautiful turtle, NYBG, Creepy Creatures of Halloween, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden (Carole Di Tosti)
Petting Skittles the milk snake, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
Petting Wilma a very sweet and popular lizard, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
One event I particularly enjoyed took place at the Clay Family Picnic Pavilions. Kids and parents came curious to see what creepy, spooky creatures of Halloween might crawl around, fly, or calm down to be petted. The live animal presentation revealed interesting reptiles from everywhere, perhaps even some backyards upstate or in the South.
In the photos are the popular Wilma, a lizard who sustained the children petting her with peace and calm, and Skittles the milk snake who also was petted by the children and remained peaceful throughout. One can see the various creatures Saturdays and Sundays, 1 & 3 p.m. until 29 October.
A Chihuly piece for sale in the NYBG Garden Shop, Chihuly Exhibit, NYBG (Carole Di Tosti)
The New York Botanical Garden contains a fabulous and beautiful world of treasures for everyone. If you can catch the Chihuly Exhibit during the day, you will be thrilled. Unfortunately, tickets to Chihuly Nights have been sold out for the last week. However, if you go during the day over the weekend, make sure to get there early. The parking is limited. And even if it is a bit colder, New Yorkers and out-of-towners want to take a last breathtaking look at the NYBG Chihuly exhibit before it leaves. Thankfully, I took many pictures in remembrance. When winter approaches in earnest in New York City, I will look back at this article and my pictures in fond remembrance.
For events at the NYGB, CLICK HERE.
‘Jazz and Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,’ New York Botanical Garden Summer Concert Series
Damien Sneed and musicians in ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ at the New York Botanical Garden (Carole Di Tosti)
Considering the Charlottesville, Virginia August 11th incidents and the tragic loss of one woman’s life, up through the president’s press conference of Tuesday, August 15th, these days of August have been tumultuous and divisive. Indeed, taking a stand to uphold human rights and decry hate groups that seek mainstream political power appears to be more vital than ever as protest marches this past weekend indicate. Symbolic action, whether it is through protest demonstrations or concerts is a reminder to all that Love trumps Hate. A great majority of Americans are committed to upholding the sanctity of every life, regardless of race or religion.
Chihuly sculptures (“Koda Study No. 3”) in the New York Botanical Garden water lily and lotus pond backdropped by the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, after the summer concert series, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ with Damien Sneed, and his ensemble and guest Keyon Harrold (Carole Di Tosti)
NYBG Palms of the World Gallery, Chihuly’s ‘Persian Pond and Fiori’ (2017), ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, Chihuly’s ‘Persian Pond and Fiori’ (2017), ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Detail, NYBG Palms of the World Gallery, Chihuly’s ‘Persian Pond and Fiori’ (2017), ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Serendipitiously, the final summer concert series at the New York Botanical Garden on Friday, 18 August was a majestic reminder of this citizen commitment. Despite the threatening thunderstorm and intermittent periods of rain throughout the day, the turnout to embrace Jazz and Chihuly, “Songs of Protest & Reconciliation” was overwhelming.
Damien Sneed, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
The audience for ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ the concert series at the New York Botanical Garden (Carole Di Tosti)
The tent was packed with a diverse crowd who were there to enjoy the all-star musical group led by award-winning pianist and vocalist, Damien Sneed, guest trumpeter Keyon Harrold and the other prodigiously talented musicians and vocal artists. Together, these individuals presented an evening of entertainment that was poignant and joyful. And after joining with them in celebrating some of the best songs created by greats of jazz, soul, gospel and contemporary music (including two composed by Damien Sneed), the audience was sent out into the night sans rain to appreciate the luminous Chihuly sculptures presented throughout the grounds and in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
Dale Chihuly’s “Red Reeds on Logs” (2017) part of the special concert series ‘Jazz and Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ at the New York Botanical Garden (Carole Di Tosti)
“Sol del Citron” at ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
‘Dale Chihuly’s ‘Sapphire Star’ ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Chihuly’s ‘Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower’ (2017), ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
This final concert in the summer series was co-produced by the Catskill Jazz Factory and Absolutely Live Entertainment. The Catskill Jazz Factory encompasses a dynamic jazz program whose mission is to aid some of the finest young jazz artists with year-round workshops, concerts, residencies and world-class performances in the Hudson Valley. Absolutely Live Entertainment is a festival, tour and concert production company spearheaded by Danny Melnick. Malnick is the Producer of the Newport Jazz Festival and the Artistic Director of Carnegie Halls’ The Shape of Jazz series.
Damien Sneed rouses the crowd at ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Damien Sneed on piano and vocals at ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Damien Sneed is a master of practically every musical genre and a 2014 recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence honor which is presented annually to emerging Black and Latino leaders in classical music. His facility with jazz, gospel, pop, R & B, opera and musical theater and his work with Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross have served him in excellent stead.
Ensemble vocalists, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Damien Sneed and ensemble musicians at ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Sneed facilely shepherded the ensemble of vocalists Chenee Campbell, Anitra McKinney, Djore Nance, Tiffany Stevenson, Matia Washington and musicians Stacy Dillard (saxophone) Corey Wilcox (trombone) Julius Rodriguez (Hammond B3 organ) John Matthew Clark (bass guitar), Mark Clark, Jr. (drums). The songs of protest “I Wish I knew How it Would Feel to Be Free” (Nina Simone), “Oh Freedom,” (African-American spiritual), “Follow the Drinking Gourd (Underground Railroad) and “Freedom (excerpt)” (Duke Ellington) for example, emphasized every individual’s yearning for freedom and what freedom means collectively and personally.
Vocal ensemble, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
During the first half of the evening, an audience member brought up a T-Shirt and draped it on a music stand. The T-Shirt had the logo, “Black Lives Matter.” Her action was spontaneous and unstaged.
Interspersed with these songs of protest were the songs of reconciliation: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon and Garfunkel), “God Bless the Child, (Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog, Jr., “Proud Mary,” (John Fogarty), “Is My Living in Vain,” (Twinkie Clark & The Clark Sisters) and more. Each number featured a powerful solo by one of the vocalists. The audience showed their appreciation with standing ovations.
Powerful solo performances by the ensemble garnered standing ovations at ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
During the second portion of the evening, Keyon Harrold performed a song he had composed. Harrold presented “When Will The Killing Stop?” as a dedication to Michael Brown and all the young, black men who have been killed for “no good reason.” His playing was at once soulful and poignant, his talent incredible. It is no wonder he has been featured on nearly 100 albums with a wide music range from jazz to R & B, from pop and gospel, to blues and hip-hop.
Keyon Harrold trumpeter at “Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Keyon Harrold, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
(L to R): Damien Sneed, Keyon Harrold, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
By the conclusion of the evening, the storm and rain had stopped and the audience had been refreshed and uplifted by the development of the program from seeking soul freedom to the process by which that freedom evolves: forgiveness, reconciliation and love.
Dale Chihuly’s ‘Macchia Forrest’ (2017), ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ NYBG summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Chihuly’s ‘White Tower with Fiori.’ central showcase, Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, New York Botanical Garden, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Dale Chihuly’s ‘Neon 206’ ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,’ NYBG summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
Lillian Goldman Fountain of Life with Chihuly’s Blue Polyvitro Crystals, ‘Jazz & Chihuly, Songs of Protest & Reconciliation’ New York Botanical Garden summer concert series (Carole Di Tosti)
On this night the evolution was inspired through music and exceptional artistry which united and uplifted a community of jazz, botanical and Chihuly enthusiasts. For audience members it was a clarification of the last few weeks and exemplification of all that is best in human hearts, further embodied by our wonderment at the fantastic, illuminated Chihuly sculptures.
KIKU Exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden
An example of Ogiku at the New York Botanical Garden’s Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden until 30 October. Photo by Carole Di Tosti
For those of you who have visited Japan in the fall, you are familiar with kiku and will most probably have fond memories of kiku that you saw in amazing displays wherever you may have walked around Tokyo or other cities in the country. Kiku is the Japanese word for “chrysanthemum.” It is the most venerated of all Japanese fall flowering plants, not only for its beauty, but also for its medicinal qualities and ancient cultural tradition.
What is most amazing is how the Japanese for centuries have maintained what is now becoming the dying art of training and shaping liku into the most incredible designs. It is becoming a dying art because the process of training the growing, fragile Kiku into such lovely shapes requires great skill and is tremendously labor intensive. One false move, one mistake and the entire display may be ruined. Kiku are “no joke.” And it is for that reason they are celebrated in Japan as part of the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the ephemeral beauty of flowers, known as hanami.
Kiku, the chrysanthemum, is the foundation for all kiku displays. Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden at NYBG. Photo by Carole Di Tosti
Butterfly kiku, an innovative design at the NYBG exhibit, Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden. Photo by Carole Di Tosti
Kiku presentations in conceptualization and philosophy are perhaps one of the most fleeting flower arrangements of all. The displays cannot be preserved beyond a few weeks. They are original. They are easily damaged and during the process of the pruning and training, they are incredibly fragile. Considering that it takes 11 months to grow, train and shape kiku into a cascade design, for example, for 11 months of labor, one receives, if one is careful, two to three weeks of beauty that vanishes as if it never lived at all. It is that impermanence of life that is so captivating a reminder for us to appreciate all that is beautiful for a season, until it withers. The irony is that kiku cannot even regrow their shapes. So, the artistry required to get them to their state of loveliness is truly exceptional
Indeed, one wonders why, in our fast paced digital age, anyone cares about pinching the buds off some flowers to effect beauty. Precisely. When one understands the process and the effort, one appreciates their pageantry. Besides, like all craft and artistry, if it can be preserved, we stay connected with our historical past and the past of other countries and their cultures. In our blink-and-it’s gone current cultural oppression of time, kiku are at once given to us from the ancients and are made modern by having those who care bring the art into the 21st century.
Kengai, cascade kiku at the NYBG exhibit, Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden. Photo by Carole Di Tosti
The NYBG has taken on the laborious craft in order to insure that the art will continue to be enjoyed by visitors from Japan as well as those who are familiar with the fall chrysanthemums, but are unfamiliar with the ability of the plants to be trained and designed into magnificent trees, cascades, bridges and more. Each year the NYBG has its kiku exhibit in the fall, pioneered by the chrysanthemum masters at the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo who educated Yukie Kurashina. Yukie has trained others like James Harkins in the fine art of floral theater. And under the supervision of Marc Hachadourian, Director of the Nolan Greenhouses for Living Collections, James (foreman of gardeners) and kiku expert Yukie with scores of volunteers have made the kiku exhibit at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a place of refuge mirroring the past and merging it with the present.
Ozukuri, thousand bloom display at the NYBG exhibit, Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden. Photo by Carole Di Tosti
During the exhibit Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden, you will see three traditional kiku styles:
- Ozukuri which means thousand bloom. A single stem of a chrysanthemum plant is trained to produce hundreds of simultaneous blossoms in a massive umbrella-shaped display.
- Kengai which means cascade. Small-flowered chrysanthemums are pruned and pinched to frameworks that flow downward like waterfalls for lengths up to six and one-half feet.
- Ogiku which means double and triple stem. These are enormous individual flowers presented at the end of stems that can reach up to six feet tall.
Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden is running from October 8 through October 30. For the full programming schedule that follows this exhibit, click HERE for the NYBG website.
