Plan Your Weekend: What’s Doing for Mother’s Day

Posted in Exhibitions, Programs and Events on May 8 2009, by Plant Talk

Family Concert, Plein Air Painting, Dutch History, and More

Gayle Schmidt is Manager of Public Education.

We can all appreciate the beauty of the Garden especially now in spring, but there is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make it what it is, especially the exhibitions. For months, the horticulturists at the propagation range have been chilling and forcing bulbs to make them ready for The Glory of Dutch Bulbs, another beautiful show. This weekend we share some of those tips as we celebrate bulbs and Dutch culture with additional tours and home gardening demonstrations as well as with special guest lectures and programs.

The inspiration for the exhibition is the recognition of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the region, and the weekend’s lectures bring to light the history of how the Bronx has been changed since Dutch settlement. Local historian Peter Derrick from the Bronx County Historical Society describes how the area developed from Dutch farms to the few parks and wild spaces that remain today. Pat Ernest, former educator at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, speaks about the original residents of the Bronx, the Lenape, as well as Jonas Bronck, the first European to settle in the Bronx, in 1638.

Peter Rose, author and scholar, explores how Dutch recipes and customs changed in the New World. Through a lusciously illustrated slide presentation on the food and drink seen in the paintings of the 17th-century Dutch Masters, we discover the connections to the food we eat today. Samples of some Dutch treats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis after this lecture, which is sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. These programs take place in the Ross Lecture Hall, where visitors can also view The Heirloom Tomato exhibition on display in the Ross Gallery.

In the meadow of the Ruth Rea Family Garden, Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum staff re-create a playful day in the life of early Dutch settlers. If you take the trails of the Native Forest to get there, you can imagine what the whole of New York City looked like before any development took place.

On Mother’s Day the Bronx Arts Ensemble presents a musical performance for families, The House That Ruthie Built: A Bronx Baseball Fairy Tale. The audience is invited to participate in the entertainment as they learn about musical instruments and are amused by the actors having fun on stage.

Each Sunday during of The Glory of Dutch Bulbs, instructors from the Continuing Education department will lead Art in the Open Air: Plein Air Landscape Painting at various locations on the Garden grounds. We invite visitors to take a moment to study the surroundings and capture its beauty on paper by their own hand. The instructors will be there to coach you along and show some of their talent.

Don’t miss the additional activities this weekend—you are sure to take away some new understandings!

Check out all of Saturday’s programming

Check out all of Sunday’s programming