May Newsletter, Part 1
MFA Art in Bloom, 2024
Ellen Whitney captured Serena and Jeanne in action and set along these photos
Serena Crosina and Jeanne Hamilton creating the arrangement
Serena works on final touches
Jeanne Hamilton and Serena Crosina write:
We were assigned a large mixed media piece in the Contemporary Art wing of the MFA called Memory: Future, made by Howardena Pindell. The artwork is a combination of acrylic, dye, paper, tempera, photographic transfers, glitter and powder on stitched canvas strips with mylar. The content of her work is catalyzed, in part, from a car accident that caused Pindell to experience periodic memory loss. Writing recollections on postcards, she used these memories as source material for her abstract, flickering artworks.
The artist drew inspiration for the piece from African textiles so we decided to incorporate African flowers into the design, including protea, strawflowers, grevillea and berzelia galpini. Our 360 degree design began with a large white square container (custom built by my husband) with a 3 foot tall frame style piece of structure attached on top of it replicating the scale and modern feel of the piece with the white frame around the perimeter. We wanted the arrangement to be tall and peaceful with subtle pops of color to represent the scale and vertical movement of the piece as well as its textural qualities. We used delphinium and tweedia for the dominant blue tones and height, then added protea and strawflower in hopes the colors would draw the viewer closer to the artwork to see the details of the small colorful paper punches and use of sequins within the piece.
We felt the size of the artwork and the position of the pedestal in the center of the gallery for 360 degree viewing provided an opportunity for a large and striking arrangement. We hope we were successful in accomplishing the floral interpretation this special piece of art deserved.
Our May 15th Meeting is at 7pm!
Don’t forget that out May meeting is our community meeting, so invite friends to join us at TriCon at 7 pm on Wednesday the 15th for our evening program and also for refreshments afterwards. The Programming Committee has invited Gretel Anspach, Lifetime Master Gardener and current Chair of the Board of Trustees of MassHort, to share her thoughts on lawns and lawn alternatives in a program that has been jokingly referred to as “Kill Your Grass”. Gretel established and maintains a 20,000 square foot food production garden that has provided fresh produce to the Marlboro and Maynard Food Pantries for the last ten years and won the MMGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Her primary interest and focus is always in the science behind horticulture.
Bonsai Bar Workshop Field Trip
Georgine Feldt, Nan Gustafson, Jennifer Stone, Susie Winstanley, Elise Woodward, Lisa MacDonnell, Maryrose Sykes, and Sandra Lynn
Maryrose Sykes writes:
Back on April 3rd, a group of us trekked out in the sleet and rain conditions to Dirigible Brewing Co. in Littleton, MA. We had a great time learning about the different steps in creating a Bonsai tree, also known as “tree in tray”. A particular important thing to keep in mind when developing a Bonsai tree includes showing off the Nebari or root flair, making sure the lowest branches do not hit you. There were a series of steps that we followed of which the last step was cutting stems and petals from the middle of the tree. We all had success in developing our Bonsai trees. The challenge now is to keep them alive by providing the tree plenty of natural light, preferably near a south-facing window, never touching a windowpane. If the outdoor temperature is 55 degrees or greater then keep outside, but do not allow the tree to have direct heat on a 100-degree day. The tree should be repotted every 1 or 1 ½ years. Such great fun!!
Last Call: Plant Sale on Saturday, May 11
Drop off is Tuesday and Wednesday this week at 839 Lowell Road: 9-12, 1-4. Label Everything! And make sure you get your name checked off before you leave!
One more time, here’s the Plant Sale Sign Up link. See you Saturday!
Invasive Garlic Mustard Pull – May 11 – May 26, 2024
The Division of Natural Resources and the Concord Land Conservation Trust are again hosting an event to pull garlic mustard from trails and conservation lands. Garlic mustard is an invasive plant in many areas throughout Town and is easy to recognize and pull! The Garlic Mustard Pull is scheduled to start on Saturday, May 11th and continue through Sunday, May 26th.
The Division of Natural Resources will train you on garlic mustard identification and supply yard waste bags for garlic mustard pulled from public areas. The Conservation Crew will pick up bags from trailheads.
Individuals, families, neighborhood groups, clubs & organizations should contact the Division of Natural Resources for route assignments, garlic mustard identification training, and yard waste bags.
Please feel free to contact DNR with any questions at nr@concordma.gov or call 978-318-3285 with any questions.
A couple of Fun Links thematically tied to our May program:
Is No Mow May the Answer we think it should be?
Why human-made gardens may be better for biodiversity than Nature itself