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Marilyn Young is the Horticulture Assistant at Wave Hill.
The favorite comment about the winter décor this year overheard at Wave Hill House was “I can do that!” Yes, indeed, that is a good part of our natural yet festive decorations. Gathering from your garden is like going to market before you cook a special meal: Let what is available be the inspiration. We have a multitude of sweet gum balls from our Liquidambar trees just up the hill and I gathered a big bag and box full of these when our Nally interns were raking them up this fall.
Taking further inspiration from a Martha Stewart Living article with a wreath made of these ornaments from nature and sprayed silver, Stephanie Ehrlich and I picked our palette of lavender and silver. With consideration of the woodwork and table in the Mark Twain room, we added a vignette of red and brown and silver, wanting to do something a little different than just the standard seasonal colors. Re-purposing is another important consideration and we have a treasure trove of containers from past galas and parties to choose from in the attic of Glyndor House. That is where we found the silver bowls that make the rich warm reds and browns pop, as they say.
Several objects from last winter’s decoration can be seen, and we have decided to make a tradition of having our pair of reindeer reappear each year in a new and different color.
We picked up additions at the 28th Street Flower Market under the guidance of the mayor of the flower market, our Friends of Horticulture co-chair Maggy Geiger, who generously purchased a new stash of delightfully joyful items to supplement what we already had. Another florist wholesaler, someone upstate who Laurel Rimmer, our Assistant Director of Public Programs, uses for her program supplies, was a good source for ample ribbons, faux berries and silver sparkle to complete it all.
Above the handsome mantelpiece are three of the pieces in Nature’s Palette, an exhibition of wonderful work created in Wave Hill’s year-round workshops for adults and families.
One more important note is to always bring the decor back from too glitzy to a more natural tone for Wave Hill, such as the twig wreaths that accompany the silver stars on the walls and the beautyberries from the Callicarpa bodinieri for the mantelpiece in the reception area.
Happy holidays!
Leigh Ross, Assistant Curator at Wave Hill’s Glyndor Gallery, provided this posting.
Last winter, our Visual Arts and Education Departments collaborated to present Wave Hill’s first-ever public-program participants’ exhibition, Naturally Inspired. Displayed in Wave Hill House, it featured a truly exceptional selection of paintings, works on paper, photography and Family Art Project creations. I thought the show was a great success. I was fascinated to see the unique and intimate view of Wave Hill evident in each piece, and impressed to see how, cumulatively, they spoke to the richness of Wave Hill’s landscape and the variety of techniques taught in our workshops. Carol Mangis, one of the artist’s featured in Naturally Inspired, had this to say about her experience: “The photography workshop I took two winters ago with Benjamin Swett was truly helpful to me, as an amateur shooter, and I was really happy with some of the photos that resulted. So when Wave Hill called for submissions for the workshop show last year, I was thrilled; even more so when they accepted one of my pictures for the show. Wave Hill means a lot to me. It was an honor to have my photo displayed at one of my favorite places in the world, and an inspiration to view the work of other participants. “
Carol Mangis' photograph from last year's exhibition. Submissions for this year's exhibition are due October 8.
This year we plan to reprise the public-program participants’ exhibition with Illuminating Nature, scheduled to be up November 27, 2009–February 28, 2010. Paula Morvay, Wave Hill’s Nature and Art Programs Manager, has set a deadline of Thursday, October 8, 2009, for the Call for Submissions. This is intended only for current and previous participants of Wave Hill art workshops and the Artists’ Circle Program and for artwork not previously exhibited at Wave Hill. For basic questions, please contact me, Leigh Ross, at 718.549.3200 x397, or leighr@wavehill.org.
Paula Morvay is Nature & Arts Programs Manager at Wave Hill.
What do you get when you place a group of teachers, a lawyer, an engineer and an artist together? If you were at Wave Hill last Sunday, you would have seen this eclectic group, drawing board at the ready; pencils in hand, taking in the breathtaking vista of the Hudson River through the delicate branches of the emerging deciduous woodland. In Study with Artists is an adult workshop series offered at Wave Hill this spring. Artists from our current contemporary art exhibition lead the public in art-making, using a variety of mediums and materials. Emily Brown, who led this session, started in Glyndor Gallery, where she discussed her background and the stages that informed and inspired her work for Wave Hill’s Arbores Venerabilis exhibition. Participants then headed outside to find the spot that would inspire them and provide what many of them expressed as an excuse to be outdoors drawing, unencumbered by daily chores and responsibilities.
Many spoke of the serenity and beauty of the surroundings and how this environment allowed for creativity to flourish. Each participant brought a unique perspective in rendering the landscape, enjoying Emily’s feedback and suggestions. As the “artist-lawyer” explained, “I have always liked art. I started working full-time last year and find being outdoors a calm way to spend the day.” She mentioned a younger son who also enjoys art. When she was asked if he would enjoy participating in these workshops, she exclaimed, “Well, that would defeat the purpose for me of getting away from it all!” The next In Study with Artists is on Sunday, May 17, when Rebecca Allan teaches about home-made charcoal and leads us on a creative exploration of this velvety medium.
