Upcoming programs at Berkshire Botanical Garden
STOCKBRIDGE – Berkshire Botanical Garden presents the following upcoming program: Friday, June 14, 6 to 7 p.m., “Cross Talk: Byzantine & Nature.” According to the Icon Museum and Study Center, “An icon is an image of a holy person or event created by an iconographer who follows the strict standards of the Orthodox Church.” Peter D. Gerakaris, artist on view at BBG, and Kent dur Russell, Russian iconography scholar, will talk about their areas of expertise and then converse on what becomes the shared meaning between them with a reception to follow. While showcasing many time-honored processes – such as Byzantine painting and gilding with gold leaf on panel – Peter’s artwork shifts our focus toward luminous images of the natural world. Motifs such as endangered flora and fauna are filtered through his artwork’s kaleidoscopic lens to create contemporary nature-based icons. In this lecture, he and Kent will explore iconography as it relates to traditional art history and the natural world. Artist Peter Gerakaris’ show, “Microcosms,” is on view June 8 through Aug. 4, in the Leonhardt Gallery at BBG. Kent dur Russell is the founding director of the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Mass., and will discuss Byzantine and icon roots in broader and contemporary contexts. Cost is $25 members, $40 nonmembers; Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m.t to noon, “Principles and Practices of Biological Farming.” Join Dan Kittredge for an overview of the principles and practices of biological farming. Build your knowledge and experience to find ways to increase the health of your soil. Participation-based with questions and answers, the workshop is designed for growers and gardeners. Participants will grasp and apply innovative, reliable principles and practices for producing healthier, better-tasting food. Cost is $25 members, $40 nonmembers; Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., “Plant and Place: Integrating a Botanical Still Life Foreground and Background.” Using a selection of potted plants from Berkshire Botanical Garden’s greenhouse, Ann Getsinger will demonstrate the act of combining perspectives to create a cohesive connection between near and far, foreground and background, to create engaging compositions. This class will examine ways to create the appearance of space and relationship using light and dark forms, repeated shapes and colors, shadows, soft and hard edges, and chromatic layering. The emphasis will be on experimentation, imagination, and play. A materials list will include colored pencils or a water-based medium of your personal preference (watercolors, acrylics or gouache); a surface to paint on; a palette; a variety of brushes, including a small mop brush; and a fine pointed brush. Bring along any materials that you enjoy working with. Cost is $100 members, $120 nonmembers. To register or for more information, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Road.
East Longmeadow Garden Club presents Scholarship
EAST LONGMEADOW – Branden Hrdlicka and his relatives attended the annual meeting of the East Longmeadow Garden Club on May 23 at the newly renovated Monkey House in Forest Park. Diane Tiago, Scholarship Chair, presented him with a certificate representing the Esther A. Rosati Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $1,000.
Branden has completed his sophomore year at Westfield State University where he has chosen to major in two different areas, Environmental Science and regional Planning. After the presentation, Branden addressed the members.
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