Art, activism and flowers bloom at New York Botanical Garden exhibition
The New York Botanical Garden has opened a new exhibition titled “Flower Power,” which explores the intersection of contemporary art, horticulture, and the social history of the 1960s anti-war movement. The show begins in the Mertz Library Building’s Art Gallery with historical artifacts like first-edition feminist texts, then extends across the garden grounds with outdoor installations by seven artists, including Carlos W. Encarnación’s painted van and Carmen Paulino’s crocheted flowers. The exhibition traces the phrase “flower power” back to Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who proposed using flowers as a visual language for peace protests during the Vietnam War era.