A new exhibition inside the New York Botanical Garden’s landmark Haupt Conservatory features vultures among the flowers and plants. They’re not real vultures, but high-density, glitter-encrusted foam ones from artist Ebony G. Patterson.
The exhibition, “…things come to thrive….in the shedding…in the molting…,” features sculptural and horticultural installations. It’s the finished product from Patterson’s residency at the garden.
“[The vultures] really are responsible for cleaning and ensuring the health of our ecosystem, so I think she is drawing attention to, maybe, some of the unseen work that’s done and should be better appreciated in our world and in the world of nature,” said Jennifer Bernstein, president and CEO of the New York Botanical Garden.
One installation features “ghost flowers” made from cast-glass and based on specimens of extinct plants found in the garden’s collection.
“In general, I think our approach is to work with artists to do something that can only be done here, and this exhibit is a really good example of that,” Bernstein said.
While the exhibition closes on Oct. 22, more fall activities at the garden continue. Pumpkins take over for the vultures during Fall-O-Ween, with hundreds of pumpkins and gourds of all kinds on display.
“There are pumpkins galore, including our wonderful giant pumpkins, which we collaborate with the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, to bring in a few of the world’s largest pumpkins every year,” Bernstein said.
There’s also pumpkin carving from master carver Adam Bierton, mini pumpkin decorating, spooky garden nights and fall forest weekends for some leaf peeping in the garden’s Thain Family Forest.
Source: Spectrum News
