Missing Nature? The NYBG Orchid Show Opens This Weekend
If Winter has your #aesthetic suffering, consider a trip up to the New York Botanical Garden this weekend. The NYBG’s 15th-Annual Orchid Show— rife with dazzling orchids from around the world– opens Saturday, Februrary 18th and runs through April 9th. Last year’s theme, Orchidelirium, traced the history of orchids– but this year’s theme, Thailand, takes a more focused approach to a specific geographic region, one internationally recognized for its incredible orchid specimens. (Thailand has some 1,000 native species and is one of the top producers of orchid hybrids.)
In addition to the stunning florals on display, works by Thai artist Pirot Gitikoon (in the form of spirit houses) and Thai architect Mom Tri (responsible for the stunning Buddhist facade at the center of the exhibit) bring a statuesque, enduring beauty to the space, completely transforming the halls and rooms that just a few months ago housed the NYBG’s holiday train show.
To accompany the exhibit, NYBG has put together a calendar of complementary programs: Orchid Evenings, which bring music and dance to the natural elements for a full sensory experience; film screenings of Vanilla: The Sacred Orchid and Adaptation; and dancer performances, courtesy of the Somapa Thai Dance Company. For those looking to bring orchids home with them or enhance their own collections, orchid care demonstration and Q&A sessions are also open to visitors.
For anyone whose interest in Thailand has been piqued by the exhibit, be sure to check out some of Thailand’s more notable written works and artists.
To learn more about The Orchid Show: Thailand and its associated programming, visit the NYBG site.
