[Communications] Spring happenings at the Conservatory & Gardens

Tue May 6 14:34:11 CDT 2025

Email from Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance May 2025 Newsletter You are receiving this because you subscribe to our e-newsletter. May 2025 Connecting People to Nature on Chicago's West Side Exhibits Spring Flower Show: Rooted In Mystery Closes Sunday, May 11 This is the last week to come enjoy "Rooted in Mystery", our Spring Flower Show celebrating the hidden world beneath the soil. Enjoy the abundance of spring blooms featuring: 26 varieties of tulips, daffodils & hyacinths, azaleas, astilbe, baptisia, hydrangeas, pansies & snapdragons. Come celebrate Mother's Day with Mother Nature herself! BOOK YOUR VISIT Need a last minute Mother's Day gift idea? Give the gift of membership to your mom, grandmother or that mom figure in your life. Give them all the flowers their heart can take in year round! A membership is a fun way to give the gift of time spent in nature together and give back to your community.  MEMBERSHIP  The Cultivation Exhibit Closes Wednesday, May 14 We’ve partnered with Art West to present The Cultivation, a powerful exhibition as part of the 2025 Black Plant It activation. Open through May 14, 2025, this exhibition explores the deep connections between the Black human experience and the natural world, celebrating themes of growth, resilience, and spiritual freedom. Through vibrant artwork, we reflect on how nature serves as a source of inspiration for storytelling and self-expression. Learn more. Enjoy 10 Acres of Spring in the Outdoor Gardens If you visit in the next couple of weeks, be sure to check out the outdoor Artist's Garden, your eyes and nose will be treated to amazing beauty and fragrance! Enjoy the Winter Daphne (Daphne odora), Mary Potter Crabapple (Malus sp. ‘Mary Potter), Fragrant Viburnum (viburnum x carlcephalum), our Apple Espalier (Malus sp.). and Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum × rhytidophylloides). Blooms are weather dependent. Stay tuned for an invite to our upcoming Summer Flower Show in the Artist’s Garden featuring garden designs inspired by the work of Mexican Artist Alfredo Ramos Martinez, opening in July 2025.   Events & Programs   Dear Earthlings: Closing Talk & Panel Discussion Wednesday, May 14, 6-7:30pm; Free Featuring thought leaders, activists, gardeners and artists, this panel will dive into ways we can advocate for a more just and sustainable future. Join us in the Community Room for a dynamic discussion on environmental justice and the impact of climate change on Black and Brown communities. Register Hands-on Beekeeping Class with Marcin and Urban Roots Teens! Saturday, May 10; 2:30-3:30pm $30 | $24 Members/Volunteers Expand your knowledge of beekeeping at the GPC hives! This year we are offering a special opportunity for a hands-on beekeeping class led by our Head Beekeeper with the help of two of the Urban Roots teens. Register Spring Concert with Chicago West Community Music Center Saturday, May 17; 1pm-2pm; Free, donations welcome Join us for a special musical performance of The Sound of Philadelphia: A Symphony of Soul, with the Chicago West Community Music Center. Tickets are free. Registration includes admission to the Conservatory. Register   Yoga with Natalie (In-Person) Wednesday, May 14, 6pm-7pm; $5 Join us for a grounding in-person yoga session with instructor Natalie at the Conservatory. All abilities welcome. You will be guided through a mindful practice focused on movement and relaxation. Class will take place in Horticulture Hall in front of the fountain. Yoga please Spring Tree ID Walk with Openlands Friday, May 30, 10am-11:30am; Free Come explore the trees on the Conservatory outdoor grounds. All ages welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult. Please note the walk takes place rain or shine. Free with registration, donations are welcome. Register The Glass House | A Social Media Lab Saturday series June 7, 14, 21 $125 / $100 Members The Glass House is not just another social media workshop—it’s a creative lab set inside one of Chicago’s most stunning living museums. You’ll learn how to tell stories rooted in your environment, using your phone, your perspective, and your imagination. Think of it as part media training, part nature immersion, part content creation playground. Learn more.   Origami Open House Saturday, May 10,12pm-3pm; Free On the 2nd Saturday of the month, Chicago Area Origami Society presents a drop-in Origami Open House. Free and fun activity for all ages and skill levels! Adults and kids accompanied by an adult are welcome. Free and open to the public. Registration is not required. If you’d like to visit the Conservatory before or after joining this program, please book a reservation. Learn More Ask a Master Gardener Saturday May 17; 10:30am-1pm; Free Alternating Saturdays, there's a University of Illinois Extension Ask a Master Gardener table in Horticulture Hall to answer your plant questions. Make a reservation to visit them.     Nature Education - Family & Youth Programs Your Trash is our Treasure Teen Art Showcase: reuse & upcycle Saturday, May 17; 12-2pm The teens in the Youth Advisory Council, in partnership with the Urban Roots Teen Environmental Justice program, created an opportunity for teens around the city to come together through art and the environment by recycling and repurposing materials. This is truly a space created for teens, by teens to showcase their art and next level creativity. Hear from the teen artists + event planners Learn what inspired their work Celebrate youth creativity & community action Nature Education Themes for May Bromeliad Babies Wild Wednesdays on 5/7, Morning Glories on 5/9, Budding Botanists on 5/10 & 5/11 This week, we are putting ourselves in the teeny, tiny shoes of the strawberry poison dart frog. Learn about the role bromeliads play in their lives, by carrying their “babies” safely through our obstacle course! Sensory Nature Journals Wild Wednesdays on 5/14, Morning Glories on 5/16, Budding Botanists on 5/16 & 5/17 Now that we’re outside in the Play & Grow Garden for the season, let’s get grounded in the garden! This week we’ll be using nature journals to notice and record our sensory experiences as we explore.  Wellness Shoutout -- A great place to start a mindfulness practice is by noticing your sensory experiences! Our senses ground us in our surroundings, and in the present moment. Nature journals are a great way to process and record these experiences. Start simple, by dedicating one small page to each sense. Or focus on one sense like smell or sound, mark yourself in the middle of a page, and create a “smell map” or “sound map” around you! Mud & Water Painting Wild Wednesdays on 5/21, Morning Glories on 5/23, Budding Botanists on 5/24 & 5/25  Have an urge to get a little bit messy with your art-making this week? Mix your own mud paint to create a newspaper masterpiece for our worms to enjoy, or paint with water to make a disappearing mural on our sidewalk. Shadow Plants Wild Wednesdays on 5/28, Morning Glories on 5/30, Budding Botanists on 5/31 & 6/1  While you’re playing outside, do you notice the shadows of trees inching across the sidewalk as the sun moves slowly overhead? Join us for tracing the shadows plants cast, as well as our own. Family Programs are FREE and Drop-In every week Wild Wednesdays | Wednesdays, 4 - 7:30pm Explore nature through art, fun for kids and adults of all ages   Morning Glories | Fridays, 10am - 12:30pm Perfect for tiny nature explorers ages 0-3 and their caregivers   Budding Botanists | Saturdays and Sundays, 11am - 3pm  Hands-on experiments and nature discoveries packed with interactive fun and learning for young botanists of all ages Family Nature Education Programs are made possible in part by The Dr. Scholl Foundation, Peoples Gas Community Fund and PNC   Spring Member Drive We are hitting the home stretch of the Spring Drive. It has been fantastic so far to see the outpouring of support, thank you! It's not too late to show us some love during our annual drive. Join at the family level and we'll show a token of our appreciation - while supplies last! Support our mission to change lives through the power of nature and our work to enhance equitable nature access and educational programs for all. Members receive fresh perks like skipping the line, guest passes, reciprocal garden benefits nationwide, annual Spring Tulip Bulb Giveaway, discounts on classes, Momentum Coffee, Gift Shop and more. Full Calendar Of Events OPEN WEDNESDAY FROM 10AM - 8PM ; THURSDAY- SUNDAY FROM 10AM - 5PM VISIT US | PHONE: 773.638.1766 Momentum Coffee At GPC Wednesday-Sunday: 10am-3pm Sip Into Spring with Momentum Coffee! Treat yourself to the Golden Glow Latte, a warm blend of turmeric and honey, or cool off with the Rose Matcha Fizz, a refreshing twist on a classic favorite. Looking for something bold? Try the Citrus Cardamom Cold Brew for a zesty pick-me-up.   COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Bank of America Chicago 13.1 Wellness Events  Saturday, May 31, 2025; footpath The Bank of America Chicago 13.1 is collaborating with the West Side community to offer wellness-based activities race weekend. The goal is to support, advance and celebrate health, wellness and movement on Chicago’s West Side. Activities include a family-friendly 1.31-Mile Wellness Walk, youth running events and opportunities to showcase local West Side businesses and organizations. Activities are free with a suggested donation to the Garfield Park Advisory Council to support the park’s programs and facilities. Learn more and register. Intersted in helping out? The fourth annual Bank of America Chicago 13.1 is also looking for more volunteers. Learn more and sign up here. LET'S BE FRIENDS         VISIT US GIVE VOLUNTEER RENTALS The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance changes lives through the power of nature. We are a non-profit organization that works in partnership with the Chicago Park District. The Garfield Park Conservatory is owned and managed by the Chicago Park District and has showcased "landscape art under glass" for over 100 years on the West Side of Chicago.  Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance | 300 N. Central Park Ave. | Chicago, IL 60624 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice
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