HALLOWEEN BULB PLANTING —
AN INCREDIBLE DAY OF COMMUNITY

VISIT BIRD BATH BY ARTIST HARRY CHADHA
IN THE MEADOW

We are thrilled to announce that Artist Harry Chadha has installed Bird Bath in our pollinator meadow to create “a space for community members to engage in the mindful practice of observing nature's nuances,” says Chadha. Come visit the meadow to view its beauty and learn more about this work in Chadha’s artist statement below:

Harry Chadha | Bird Bath, 2023 | Concrete 

In "Bird Bath," Chadha synthesizes active and historical relationships with family into an architectural form. Inspired by the bird bath that resides in Chadha's family's backyard—objects that are part of the daily lives of Chadha's parents—the work embodies simple joys through its conceptual visitors. One particularly notable "guest" is a hawk of substantial proportions that, in reality, frequents the family's bird bath. This consistent event prompts the ritualistic sharing of a photo or video in the family's group chat, with the hawk's imposing size creating a comedic contrast to the more modest bird bath it occupies.

Regardless of life events, this interaction serves as an enduring link that keeps family communication active. Within the family's Sikh faith, the hawk is seen as an especially auspicious creature, favored by Guru Gobind Singh. Building on this collective experience, "Bird Bath" maps the family's lineage onto a sculpted landscape, which takes form through the walking route between the eight original villages of the Khukhrain tribe, the family's ancestral home. The pink hues in the piece are an homage to the greater Salt Range area in Punjab, known for its Himalayan pink salt. Once this route is mapped, Chadha transitions from digital design to physical form by carving a sand model of the basin. This physical model is then translated back into digital format through 3D scanning and refined for final production, which is cast in pink-toned concrete. The piece serves as a reflection of the collaborative exchange that Chadha shares with his parents, his history, and his backyard in Houston.

NEW INSTAGRAM SERIES:
30 SECONDS WITH AUSTIN THE GARDENER

Give your pumpkin new life at LES Ecology Center's Pumpkin Smash on November 5th.

Make the most of your Halloween pumpkins — join LES Ecology Center on Sunday, November 5th from 12 - 3pm for Pumpkin Smash at La Plaza Cultural. The afternoon includes smashing your pumpkin, foods and drinks, giveaways, worm bin exploration, and native seed ball making. Help keep your pumpkin out of the landfill.

Get crafty at Seward Park with NYC Park’s Urban Park Rangers on Sunday, November 5th from 1 - 2pm. At Artsy Autumn Crafts, you will create sustainable paper mache crafts from scrap materials, so please make sure to bring your own bottles, paper, and any other materials for repurposing.

Join The Tenement Museum for Storyteller Book Club’s discussion on New York, My Village by Uwem Akpan on Tuesday, November 14th at 6pm. “Akpan’s prose melds humor, tenderness, and pain to explore the myriad ways that tribalisms define life everywhere, from the villages of Nigeria to the villages within New York City. New York, My Village is a triumph of storytelling and a testament to the life-sustaining power of community across borders and across boroughs.”

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