June 17: Branching Out: Tree as Community Hosts

Anchored by an exhibition of six site-specific sculptures by emerging New York artists, Power of Trees will be experienced by visitors across the Garden through visual art, performances, and special events as well as simply by walking the grounds. The central art exhibition of this program, Branching Out: Trees as Community Hosts, features six site-specific sculptural works co-commissioned by BBG and AnkhLave Arts Alliance, inspired by the theme of trees as community hosts, and curated by Cecilia André.

“Throughout the world, and especially in dense urban areas, [tres are]  essential to healthy and hospitable environments,” said Adrian Benepe, president and CEO of Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “Trees are extraordinary natural ‘machines’ that absorb pollution and give us oxygen. They make our neighborhoods beautiful and vibrant and inspire artists and writers of all ages.”

Participating artists are Sherwin Banfield, Amanda Martínez, Jasmine Murrell, Seema Lisa Pandya, Niceli Portugal, and Natsuki Takauji, all of whom are based in New York City. Info

Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 150 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY Directions

Thursday, June 15, 7-10pm: An Evening to Defend and Support Ukraine’s Heritage

This unique event to support cultural preservation efforts in Ukraine will present a screening of Erase the Nation, Polish filmmaker Tomasz Grzywaczewski's haunting documentary of Russia's calculated and systematic attempts to destroy Ukraine as a nation, people, and culture; an auction and sale of traditional and war-time Ukrainian original art, including large-format wall tapestries, multi-medium paintings, and art made from battlefield elements (bidding available on this website here until the event finishes); aconversation with members of Ukraine's Ministry of Culture, cultural officials from the Polish Consulate, and members of the Svidok project, and more. Left: Sky on Fire, 2023 by @christinasaj

From prohibitions of the Ukrainian language to burning books and killing writers and artists, Russia has been attempting to destroy Ukrainian culture for more than four centuries, according to the organizers. Yet, today Ukraine stands continues fighting this latest full-scale war – not only for itself but for international law and prosperity. “Putin's actions bear a striking resemblance to those of previous dictators, from Hitler to Stalin. They all aim to deprive the occupied territories of their national identity by erasing their culture,” tells Tomasz Grzywaczewski, whose film “Erase the Nation”, uncovering Russia's methodical attempts to wipe out Ukraine's national identity and culture, will be presented at the Evening.

The event is co-organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York and will feature remarks from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

This event takes place at the Polish Consulate in New York City, at 233 Madison Avenue.  

Saturday, June 17, 2pm: Curator walkthrough | No Bios at EFA 

Curated by Isis Awad for Visual AIDS in partnership with EFA Project Space, No Bios brings together a group of queer and trans artists of color, artists who are living and thriving with HIV, and artists who have been lost to AIDS-related illnesses. In contrast to the somber, tragic, and alarmist overtones that often frame representations of marginalized identities—especially those intertwined with HIV and AIDS—the exhibition presents mischievously playful and beautifully mundane artworks that speak to a determination to exist beyond mere survival.

The exhibition features new and historic works by three generations of artists: Jerome Caja (1958–1995), Chloe Dzubilo (1960–2011), Stevie Cisneros Hanley, Reverend Joyce McDonald, Sofia Moreno, Pamela Sneed, Tabboo!, and D’Angelo Lovell Williams. Photo © Julia Gilllard, courtesy EFA Project Space

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, 323 W 39th Stret, FL 1, New York, NY Info

Saturday, June 17: African American / Carribean Gardens at NYBG

Now in its second year, the African American Garden at New York Botanical Garden’s Edible Academy, a collaboration between scholars and local artists, celebrates the history of the African Diaspora in the Americas through the lens of plants and food. 

Opening Saturday, with a Symposium and a Juneteenth Weekend Celebration, the newly imagined garden begins with plantings designed to mimic a sugarcane field, highlighting the centrality of sugar to the Afro-Caribbean experience, as sugarcane was initially cultivated by the forced labor of enslaved Africans. 

This year’s garden will also include the tropical bounty of fruit trees such as mango and coconut and the plants grown in lush kitchen gardens known as canucos in the Caribbean, including cassava and pineapple. The garden will feature plants used for medicine, ceremonies, and creativity such as for weaving baskets, dyeing fabrics, and making musical instruments. 

Cave Canem Foundation—the premier home for Black poetry, committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets—has once again curated a Poetry Walk for African American Garden: The Caribbean Experience, featuring six poems by Afro-Caribbean poets. As with the interpretive signage, the poems will be presented in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. The African American Garden also includes an orientation center and the work of two Bronx-based artists: a Caribbean audio track curated by Justin Goodman of Red Gate Sound and a drink stand. Click for Juneteenth programs  Click for the Symposium Click for Poetry Walk Click for public programs

New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY Info

Continuing: Ricardo Arango | Clay, Glass, Steel at Culture Club

Ricardo Arango explores these three different elements in his work, sometimes combining all three in one piece. His work highlights the beauty of each material as he places clay, glass and steel in unique arrangements. There are soft edges, sharp points, rounded forms, vibrant colors and Arango maintains a steady commitment to composition throughout his process. 

He says, "The diverse qualities of materials excite my imagination such as the flexibility of clay, the rigidity of metal and the fluid nature of fired glass. I create seeking to explore the visual relationships between the materials in creating new forms.” Curated by Thomas W. Lollar of Teachers College/Columbia University, the exhibition continues through June 25. Info

NYC Culture Club, World Trade Center, 185 Greenwich Street, Oculus C1 Level, New York, NY Info