Identifying Plants from Whitney Artworks | Whitney Biennial

The Director of Exhibitions Content & Interpretation at NYBG, Michaela Wright, took us for a tour of the botanical garden with stops inspired by our Whitney Biennial digital map. Many of the works on the map, including those that were displayed in the very first Biennial in 1932, feature plant life on view at the garden. In honor of this crossover, the Whitney Museum of American Art is coming to the Bronx for a special artmaking project at the New York Botanical Garden on Saturday, June 29th. This artmaking project is inspired by artist Joseph Stella, an Italian immigrant who—missing the plants from his native country—would visit the New York Botanical Garden in the 1920s for artistic inspiration. One of his botanical-based works, Neapolitan Song, was featured in the first-ever Whitney Biennial, a showcase of what’s new and exciting in contemporary American art, and a part of the NYC cultural landscape since 1932. Artists of all ages are welcome to join us for a tour of the Azalea Garden and to create watercolors inspired by the scenic surroundings. Learn more about this event.