Planting Dreams: Two must‐see exhibitions
Like many passions, gardening can be an absorbing, satisfying and even addictive pursuit capable of stimulating all of our senses! No wonder so many Australians spend endless hours on their knees creating their dream garden.
According to NSW State Librarian & Chief Executive, Alex Byrne: “To celebrate the bicentenary of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the State Library is thrilled to be staging two fascinating exhibitions that showcase the rich story of gardens and garden‐making in Australia ‐ Planting Dreams: Shaping Australian Gardens and Grand Garden Designs will open to the public on 3 September 2016.”
Garden historian and Shaping Australian Gardens curator Richard Aitken trawled through the State Library’s extensive collections and selected 150 rare, beautiful and quirky objects – spanning five centuries – to present the ideas and influences that have shaped the way we make, use, imagine and enjoy our gardens.
“Through the exhibition we trace the benefits of gardens and garden making back to the 15th century, when the medicinal virtues of ‘canapus’ were being extolled in a rare herbal now held in the Library’s collection,” says Richard. “Gardens enrich us. They touch on the spiritual by offering a sort of mini paradise and reflect the cultural diversity of our population as it grows and changes.”
Some gardens can make us green with envy! Grand Garden Designs features over 70 extraordinary images of the most magnificent contemporary gardens in NSW, captured by Australia’s leading garden photographers. The Library commissioned architect and writer Howard Tanner to survey large, innovative gardens in NSW that may have influenced 21st century landscape design in Australia.
A number of these grand private gardens and public landscapes, created since the 1980s, will be on show in Grand Garden Designs, including a famous Vaucluse estate ‘The Hermitage’, remarkable subtropical and mountain gardens in the north of the State, and a major country garden, ‘Garangula’ at Harden.
“The exhibition highlights recent trends including the beautiful use of meadow planting, the Japanese art of cloud pruning, innovative use of sculpture, mass planting of Australian natives, and the concept of borrowed landscapes,” says Howard Tanner.
The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of landscape architecture as a profession in Australia, and visitors can hear from top landscape designers sharing insights into their fascinating creative processes, sourcing rare and special plants and future garden design.
Planting Dreams: Shaping Australian Gardens and Grand Garden Designs are free exhibitions at the State Library of NSW from 3 September 2016 to 15 January 2017.
Public Events:
Author talk with Bruce Pascoe – 2016 Premier’s Literary Award Book of the Year recipient
Friday 2 September, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Venue: Metcalfe Auditorium
Free, bookings required [email protected]
Bruce Pascoe comes to the Library to talk about his award-winning book Dark Emu; Black Seeds, Agriculture or Accident? This prize winning book explores the history of Aboriginal land management in Australia prior to colonisation and how we avoided the real history of the country for 220 years, preferring to tell ourselves a story of stoicism and courage.
The History Lounge
Saturday 10 September 2016 – 2pm to 4pm
Venue: Gallery Room
Free, no bookings required
The Library’s online History Lounge members are stepping into the real world with their inaugural History Week event. Spend your Saturday listening to our curators chat about the collection, swap history stories and view some of the collection items already featured on our Facebook group.
For more information or to join the Facebook group go to: www.facebook.com/groups/SLNSWHistoryLounge/
A Foraging Tale
Saturday 17 September, 2pm to 4pm
Meet: Macquarie St Foyer
$40/ $90 Family ticket/ $30 Friends & Concession
Bookings: [email protected]
Meet at the Library then stroll around the city’s green spaces with master forager Diego Bonetto as he shows you how to identify local edible plants common to backyards and parks all over Sydney. After your tour you could return to the Library and be inspired by our exhibition Planting Dreams.
Australia: Nation or Commodity?
Tuesday 20 September, 5.30pm-7pm
Venue: Dixson Room
$20, Bookings via [email protected]
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