Art in the Gardens – July 8th, 2023
Since 2021 the gardens have hosted an annual ‘Art in the Gardens’ event each year, where we feature the work of two to five artists.
This year we welcome HFA (Habitat for Artists).
Beginning in early June, the Habitat for Artists (HFA) collective will construct a small, temporary 6 x 6 foot studio at Hortus Arboretum to facilitate a series of community engagements. The project will begin with Michael Asbill and Simon Draper milling several Eastern White Pines that were felled to expand the gardens. Using the lumber, the HFA team will frame and partially clad the shed.
Hortus HFA Schedule of Artists
7/22 – Marielena Ferrer
I look to nature for analogies to help me understand human relations and to experiment with new social paradigms and models. My current research focuses on poison ivy as a metaphor for the socially excluded and for exploring possibilities to make art with it.
For my Hortus Arboretum HFA participation, I propose spending a day gathering poison ivy and extracting its sap while engaging in conversations with the public about the plant, lacquer art, and how labor is valued.
7/29 – Janice La Motta
A Modern Herbarium
– Walking the grounds I’d like to record the naturalized plant specimens of Hortus with the thought of creating a contemporary herbarium that leaves the plants intact but that uses observation and interpretation to “record” in journal fashion the species of plants on the property. The herbarium may take various forms and incorporate various methods of “recording” – ie: drawing, digital referencing, cyanotype processes, etc. The act of walking the property, discovery, observation and then working within the Hortus landscape will all inform the journal’s creation.
8/5 – Emilie Houssart (The DIRT Project)
The DIRT Project will be in residence at the Habitat for Artists studio at Hortus Arboretum on August 5th. Emilie Houssart will create an interactive DIRT installation for play and conversation based around the following question: why should we care about dirt? Come and join the project!
8/19 – Simon Draper
CHUTNEY with DRAPER
small batch canning , with a variety of herbs and spices
and tried recipes to see what NEW fruits might find themselves
as preserve on YOUR plate with a good Cheese and fine bread
I grew up collecting various fruits and vegetables
from our garden , and making preserves from the
bruised , the over abundant and had a enough of …
This was always a production , the family got
together in the late summer months to “put down “
…bottle/can veg and fruits
Years later I find myself missing this activity but wanting to
approach it in a more creative way . What if we made small batches
that takes 45 mins from fruit to bottle , and if needed amend the recipe ?
AND have others discover the ease and fun of an age old kitchen
practice
We ‘ll see what is available to ” put down ” in July , in the
knowledge that Hortus has some unusual and not the usual
plants on hand …that might have fruit to preserve !!
8/26 – Lisa Breznak
Using common materials of wire, foil, and paint, I will use the gardens’ botanical imagery to inspire,
refresh, and play to expand my ideas, moving into new directions and new work.
Referencing nature, architecture, costume, and body language, I make abstracted forms
to show that beauty, thought, humor, creativity, and significance are not mutually exclusive.
www.lisabreznak.com
***Chere Krakovsky, Alexis Elton, Viktorsha Uliyanova, Jessie Darling, and Mariah Day to be announced.

Milchael & Mariah with Pine to be milled.
Michael Asbill
Hortus HFA Schedule of Artists
7/22 – Marielena Ferrer
I look to nature for analogies to help me understand human relations and to experiment with new social paradigms and models. My current research focuses on poison ivy as a metaphor for the socially excluded and for exploring possibilities to make art with it.
For my Hortus Arboretum HFA participation, I propose spending a day gathering poison ivy and extracting its sap while engaging in conversations with the public about the plant, lacquer art, and how labor is valued.
7/29 – Janice La Motta
A Modern Herbarium
– Walking the grounds I’d like to record the naturalized plant specimens of Hortus with the thought of creating a contemporary herbarium that leaves the plants intact but that uses observation and interpretation to “record” in journal fashion the species of plants on the property. The herbarium may take various forms and incorporate various methods of “recording” – ie: drawing, digital referencing, cyanotype processes, etc. The act of walking the property, discovery, observation and then working within the Hortus landscape will all inform the journal’s creation.
8/5 – Emilie Houssart (The DIRT Project)
The DIRT Project will be in residence at the Habitat for Artists studio at Hortus Arboretum on August 5th. Emilie Houssart will create an interactive DIRT installation for play and conversation based around the following question: why should we care about dirt? Come and join the project!
8/19 – Simon Draper
CHUTNEY with DRAPER
small batch canning , with a variety of herbs and spices
and tried recipes to see what NEW fruits might find themselves
as preserve on YOUR plate with a good Cheese and fine bread
I grew up collecting various fruits and vegetables
from our garden , and making preserves from the
bruised , the over abundant and had a enough of …
This was always a production , the family got
together in the late summer months to “put down ”
…bottle/can veg and fruits
Years later I find myself missing this activity but wanting to
approach it in a more creative way . What if we made small batches
that takes 45 mins from fruit to bottle , and if needed amend the recipe ?
AND have others discover the ease and fun of an age old kitchen
practice
We ‘ll see what is available to ” put down ” in July , in the
knowledge that Hortus has some unusual and not the usual
plants on hand …that might have fruit to preserve !!
8/26 – Lisa Breznak
Using common materials of wire, foil, and paint, I will use the gardens’ botanical imagery to inspire,
refresh, and play to expand my ideas, moving into new directions and new work.
Referencing nature, architecture, costume, and body language, I make abstracted forms
to show that beauty, thought, humor, creativity, and significance are not mutually exclusive.
www.lisabreznak.com
Chere Krakovsky, Alexis Elton, Viktorsha Uliyanova, Jessie Darling, and Mariah Day to be announced.
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In past years, we have displayed the outdoor sculpture works by local designer and sculptor Johnny Poux and the cast bronze sculptures of Karen Lovenguth. The sculptures are displayed in the arboretum throughout the growing season so visitors can view them throughout the year.
Karen Lovenguth – Bronze Johnny Poux- “Cog” Cast cement
https://karenlovenguth.com/ http://www.johnnypouxdesign.com/
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Sergey Jivetin invites audience members to bring seeds with individual significance to be hand-engraved with the interpretations of the respective stories. – Summer 2022
https://www.sergeyjivetin.com/
————————————————————————————————2021 Featured Artist – Karen Lovenguth