"Hudson Valley Seed Library's: Art of the Heirloom" Exhibition
The Horticultural Society of New York
This event has ended.
The Hort is pleased to present the Hudson Valley Seed Library's "Art of the Heirloom" as part of its ongoing exhibitions program highlighting artists that find inspiration from nature.
Founded in 2004 by Ken Greene and Doug Muller in Accord, NY, the Hudson Valley Seed Library is a member-driven and farm-based seed company growing and saving vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. Through their annual Art Pack collection and traveling exhibition, the Seed Library celebrates the union of agriculture and the creative arts. As Greene says, "The artwork reflects the genetic and cultural diversity of the stories inherent in seeds."
Each year, the Seed Library commissions contemporary artists from New York (and now the Northeast region, as well) to interpret a distinctive selection of their heirloom seed varieties for the seed pack covers. This year, 26 artists were selected from over 200 submissions to create original works for the 2013 Art Pack collection, all of which are on view here. Artists range from established to undiscovered and they work in a variety of media, including oil painting, embroidery, collage, botanical illustration, and printmaking. This is the fifth year the Seed Library has organized this exhibition and it is the third straight year it has been hosted by The Hort.
"In Art of the Heirloom," says Greene, "the artists act as cultural seed savers, selecting which kernels of beauty, color, and form to keep alive and pass on to future generations." This year's exhibition features works in a variety of styles, including: illustrative depictions of Champion Collards (Jeff Carmagna) and Cocozelle Zucchini (Will Sweeney); Jesica Clark's graphic woodcut of King of the North Pepper; a surreal, dreamlike landscape with Teddy Bear Sunflowers by Kahn & Selesnick; Jessica Pollak's fantastical gouache of Panther Edamame; and Gabe Brown's abstract interpretation of Echinacea in watercolor. These imaginative interpretations are only a few examples of how the artists in the show have captured the character and diversity of the Seed Library's evocatively-named heirloom plant varieties.
In addition to the seed pack art, this year's Art of the Heirloom exhibition will feature a screening room with video, stop-motion animation, and time-lapse films all about seeds.
During the course of the exhibition, The Hort will host a pop-up shop selling seed packs, fine art prints, and gift baskets. To view the Seed Library's full collection of 80 Art Packs and over 300 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and to learn more about their mission to preserve, develop, and celebrate heirloom plant varieties, please visit seedlibrary.org.
The Horticultural Society of New York provides programs that sustain the vital connection between people and plants, growing a broad community of New Yorkers that values horticulture and giving even those with limited resources the knowledge and opportunity to cultivate plants, thereby benefitting the environment, their neighborhoods, and their own lives. Our gallery encourages gardeners and artists alike to appreciate the creative intersection between art and nature. Exhibitions showcase emerging and established contemporary artists who are inspired by botany, landscape, horticulture, and the environment.
[Image: Jessica Pollak "Panther Edamame" Gouache]
Media
Schedule
from February 15, 2013 to March 08, 2013
Opening Reception on 2013-02-15 from 18:00 to 20:00