Nature and Art at the New York Botanical Garden
Just last year The Bronx celebrated its centennial, and what a centennial it has been! The past 100 years The Bronx has gone through many ups and downs, from farms to factories to commercial hubs, housing developments and landmarks until the time of the Great Depression when things began to decline to a point where “The Bronx is Burning” became our borough’s slogan. While The Bronx has been moving up, economically and culturally, our borough still struggles with it’s negative reputations. The Bronx continues to be an untapped treasure to many of it’s residents as well as visitors, who often overlook our borough opting to visit the outer boroughs. The next few posts will focus on the many gems The Bronx has to offer its residents and visitors, starting with one of the largest landmarks in our borough, The New York Botanical Garden. (If you’d like to add to this series as a guest contributor, contact me at Joyce@Bronx-PR.com.)
The New York Botanical Garden is one of the gems of our borough. The garden preserves a part of The Bronx that once was considered countryside giving visitors an opportunity to vividly experience a bit of the past when our borough was mostly green and forested. But a visit to the garden is more than a walk through the park to look at flowers and trees. In addition to providing a wonderful escape to nature, the New York Botanical Garden’s programming has been doing a magnificent job in combining the beauty and tranquility of nature with exclusive art exhibits and performances for an enjoyable and all-encompassing cultural experience with every visit.
The New York Botanical Garden has programs that will meet everyone’s interests. The annual classics such as the Holiday Train Show and The Orchid Show you can enjoy live performances catered to children with “All Aboard with Thomas and Friends” and family friendly Ballroom Dancing with Ballet Hispanico to the adults only Bar Car Nights and Orchid Evenings featuring live music and playful entertainment.
If you have not yet experience all that a visit to the garden has to offer you can take advantage of the most current exhibition taking place, Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life; the first solo presentation of artist Frida Kahlo’s work in New York City in more than 10 years. This exhibition focuses on Frida’s engagement with nature in her native country of Mexico. In addition to her artwork, accompanying programs invite visitors to learn about Kahlo’s Mexico through poetry, lectures, Mexican-inspired shopping and dining experiences, and hands-on activities for kids. Bilingual texts in English and Spanish provide historical and cultural background, with photos of the garden as it appeared during Kahlo’s lifetime. You can visit Frida’s Casa Azul for a reimagined version of her garden, enjoy live music and dance, film series and lectures as well as textile and cooking demonstrations. For the kids there will be scavenger hunts and for adults the Frida al Fresco evenings when the exhibition will be open late, with live music, cocktails, and Mexican-inspired dinner menus. For more information and to purchase tickets visit nybg.org