8 minute read
Events
Events are included in the cost of admission and registration is not required unless otherwise noted.
*Applies toward Michigan State University Extension
Master Gardener education credit.
Plant Shows
Dahlia Show
Saturday, August 27, 12–5 pm Sunday, August 28, 11 am–4:30 pm Presented by the West Michigan Dahlia Society
Be inspired! Stroll through a room filled with stunning flowers and a rainbow of color. View lovely floral arrangements and chat with Dahlia Society members to learn more about growing and caring for these beautiful blooms.
Fall Bonsai Show
Saturday, October 1, 10 am–5 pm Sunday, October 2, 11 am–5 pm Presented by the West Michigan Bonsai Club
See a variety of bonsai on display, from trees in early training stages to mature older trees. Watch bonsai artists at work and shop for bonsai trees, tools, and supplies.
The Peter M. Wege Library
Read & Explore: Art and Gardens Book Group
Tuesday, September 13, 1–2:30 pm
For our fall book discussion, we’re diving into the intriguing world of clouds. Maria Mudd Ruth’s A Sideways Look at Clouds is an irresistible account of her discovery of the science and beauty of the clouds we walk under and may take for granted each day. Join us as we discuss this fun, fascinating and edifying book. Registration required (limit of 20). RSVP to skilroy@meijergardens.org or 616-975-3144.
Books in Bloom!
Friday, September 23
We hope you had a chance to enjoy our spring and summer Books in Bloom displays. This quarterly series continues as our Horticulture team creates another beautiful floral arrangement inspired by a book in the Peter M. Wege Library. Be sure to stop by to gain some inspiration! The arrangement will be on display in the Wege Library for approximately one week.
Mark Mennin: ArtPrize and Written in Stone
Member Reception and Lecture
Thursday, September 8, 2022, 6–8 pm
Join us for the opening of Mark Mennin: Written in Stone and view his 2022 ArtPrize entry, Embedded. Suzanne Ramljak, Chief Curator, will provide opening remarks followed by a lecture from Mark Mennin on "The Stone Carver as Alchemist." Galleries open at 7 pm with light refreshments provided. RSVP by Thursday, September 1 online at bit.ly/ArtPrizeFMG_MM, by email to rsvp@meijergardens.org, or by calling Lisa Flowers at 616-974-5222. This event will be closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
Exhibition Walk: Stone Embodiment
October 16, 11:30 am–12:30 pm Amber Oudsema, Curator of Arts Education at Meijer Gardens, Adjunct Professor of Art History at Grand Valley State University
Discover why stone is a time-tested favorite artistic medium, from the prehistoric era to the present. Join a guided walk and discussion of the work of ArtPrize artist Mark Mennin as well as works by other stone sculptors represented in the Meijer Gardens permanent collection. Mennin’s work explores the connection between the human figure and the Earth, the juxtaposition of hard and soft textures, and geology and geography as a type of ethnicity.
The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden
Inside the Japanese Teahouse
Sundays, September 18 and October 16, 1–4 pm
Experience the tranquil ambience and exquisite architecture of our authentic Japanese Teahouse on the third Sunday of the month, May to October. Take special note of the master carpentry, contrasting woods, patterns, textures and numerous distinctive details. This opportunity is included with admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests will be asked to remove their shoes before entering the teahouse.
Gwen Frostic Woodland Shade Garden
Glow Garden
The Woodland Shade Garden transforms into the Glow Garden, its natural beauty enhanced through the power of light. Enjoy artfully carved pumpkin displays by Grand Rapids printmaker Alynn Guerra, decorative lanterns, log lights, and glowing trees.
Michigan's Farm Garden
Tuesdays at the Farm
Eat, drink and dance in the crisp autumn air! The James & Shirley Balk Café pop-up will serve fresh local fare along with West Michigan beer and adult cocktails while guests enjoy live local music in the barn. It's a great time for everyone wanting to experience fall at Meijer Gardens.
Yinka Shonibare CBE: Planets in My Head Lecture Series
Complex Embodiment: Yinka Shonibare CBE and Disability, Race, and Colonialism
Saturday September 3, 11 am–12 pm Jessica A. Cooley, PhD, ACLS Postdoctoral Associate, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and Guest Curator, Ford Foundation Gallery, New York City
In this talk, we will explore the entwined forces of disability, race, and colonialism in the life and work of artist Yinka Shonibare. By centering this intersectional approach, we will consider how complex identity and embodied experience can create a radical aesthetic that is also a tactic for political change.
Saturday October 1, 11 am–12 pm Antawan Byrd, PhD candidate in the art history department at Northwestern University, Weinberg Fellow, associate curator of Photography and Media at the Art Institute of Chicago
Globes recur throughout Yinka Shonibare’s art, whether serving as surrogates for human heads or used as foundations on which sculptural figures are made to tread carefully. In this talk, we will consider the ways Shonibare’s multivalent engagements with planetary forms extend ideas and themes associated with PanAfricanism, a cultural and political movement founded in the early 20th century that calls for self-determination and transnational solidarity among Black peoples.
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. Hybrid Mask (Fang Ngil), 2020–2021. Hand painted wooden mask on a brass clad plinth, 70 x 29 x 26cm (27 1/2 x 11 3/8 x 10 1/4 in). Copyright Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Stephen White and Co.
Fall Bus Trips
Registration required at: MeijerGardens.org/calendar Scholarship assistance is available. Please email questions to: classes@meijergardens.org
Discover Beautiful Cranbrook*
Join us for a day trip to discover Cranbrook— one of the world’s leading centers of education, science, and art—located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The historic 319-acre campus, founded in 1904, features the work of worldrenowned architects such as Eliel Saarinen, Albert Kahn, Steven Holl, and Tod Williams, and sculptors Carl Milles, Marshall Fredericks, Mark di Suvero, and more. Critics have described Cranbrook, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, as the “most enchanting setting in America.” Start your day at Cranbrook’s Contemporary Art Museum, enjoying a self-guided tour of three featured exhibitions or admiring the impressive outdoor sculpture collection that displays more than thirty pieces. Next enjoy a boxed lunch on the bus as we make our way across campus, stopping to take in the sights before arriving at Cranbrook House & Gardens. Built in 1908, this English Arts and Crafts-style home is the oldest surviving manor open to the public in metro Detroit. Your private guided tour of Cranbrook House takes you back in time to a golden era of craftsmanship as you explore twelve rooms on the first floor, including the library, Oak Room, and Cranbrook cofounder George Gough Booth’s original office. Learn about the Booth family and their 1908 English Tudor estate while viewing handcrafted furniture, tapestries, tiles, stained glass, and other works of art. While one half of the group tours, the other half will freely explore the Cranbrook Gardens. Comprising 40 acres of formal and natural areas surrounding the house, the gardens feature unique statuary and calming water features in addition to their extensive plantings. Sites include the popular sunken garden, the reflecting pool, the native plant and wildflower garden, the greenhouse, and the Japanese garden. End the day enjoying a meal together at Lockhart's BBQ before returning to Meijer Gardens. Fee includes bus transportation, admission, snack, tours, boxed lunch, dinner and all gratuities.
Art Inspired by Nature in Kalamazoo
Relax and refresh your mind on this first-ever Meijer Gardens day trip focused on how nature serves as inspiration for art. Start the day at the tranquil Kalamazoo Nature Center, where the exhibition Up in the Air: Birds Navigating the Anthropocene is on display. This exhibition features original illustrations by local artist Olivia Mendoza, providing the perfect complement to displays of preserved eggs and birds, amongst other scientific works. Tour the exhibition with a guide from the KNC and explore the grounds, unwinding and drawing inspiration for activities throughout the day. Also, enjoy a full-circle opportunity as Mendoza, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Medical Illustration from Kendall College of Art & Design, leads a botanical illustration workshop. Enjoy a boxed lunch at the KNC before heading to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, where a series of entertaining experiences awaits. Explore the museum on a guided tour of the KIA’s permanent art collection on display in the exhibition Unveiling American Genius. This exhibition includes natureinspired works amongst a wide variety of abstract and contemporary art sharing the stories and perspectives of African American, Latinx and female artists. Next, participate in a hands-on art activity creating your own rendition of a landscape, using paint and a press and make a unique print to take home. Take time to explore the KIA on your own as well. Reconnect over dinner at Theo & Stacy’s Greek Restaurant, appreciating each other’s company and sharing experiences of the day. Dive into creative freedom and natural inspiration and take home unique handmade items on this fun and relaxing day trip. Fee includes bus transportation, admission, snack, tours, art activities, boxed lunch, dinner, and all gratuities.
Cancellation Policy: Full refunds for cancellations are given if we are notified by phone or email 30 days in advance of the class. A 50% refund is given if we are notified 7–29 days in advance of the class. No refunds will be given for notice less than 7 days before the class. Call 616-975-3184 or 616-9753147, or email classes@meijergardens.org for cancellations.
