Bartlett Joins in on Mayor's initiative to Spread Kindness

In honor of the Stamford Kindness Initiative put forth by the mayor in December 2023, the Bartlett Arboretum ran specific programs dedicated to kindness.

At the beginning of the month, the Bartlett partnered with The Villa Maria School, which caters to neuro-divergent elementary and middle school students, to bring kindness to senior residents at The Villa at Stamford. Bartlett’s Outreach Coordinator, Michelle Vitaglione, led students and a few visiting senior citizens in an activity making pinecone bird feeders to be hung at The Villa at Stamford. The students had made the bird feeders once before and hung them around their school property. They thought that attracting lots of birds just outside the windows of The Villa at Stamford would help bring some joy to those who may not be able to go out as much during the winter. Students also crafted handmade cards for each residents at The Villa.

A second program, was done in concert with children at Inspirica, an organization designed to break the cycle of homelessness. The children at Inspirica made necklaces for children living in another nearby shelter. Each child decorated tree cookies and wooden leaves to be used as pendants on the necklaces. The necklaces were packaged in organza bags and delivered prior to Christmas to Open Doors in Norwalk, a housing and homeless service organization that provides resources for individuals and families on the path to housing stability. The children who attend the after-school program at Open Doors now plan on doing something for the kids at Inspirica, which will continue to perpetuate a lovely cycle of kindness.

“We can all use a little kindness and a reason to smile every day, all year-round. Often the act of being kind is even more gratifying than receiving kindness. Kindness does not have an expiration date and I’m thrilled to continue running these programs on behalf of Bartlett all year long. I can’t wait to see the sunshine that our community helps spread to others!”

“Our Communities at the Public Garden’s Edge”

Artist-In-Residence Doug Jones and IVCG Director Dan Camenga at the unveiling of the community-created original artwork: “Our Communities at the Public Garden’s Edge”.

On view in the Silver Education Center lobby is a new co-created artwork titled “Our Communities at the Public Garden’s Edge.” The project began late last year and included dozens of people of different backgrounds, skills, and experience,—seniors, volunteers, and local Girl Scouts. This project was part of Doug Jones’ work as Artist in Residence at the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Greater New Haven, and with support from NXTHVN, and the CT Gardening Collaborative.

The exhibit, which includes the final work and documentation photography, will be on view at the Bartlett until the end of the year. We are happy to welcome this piece to the Bartlett and thrilled to share it with our visitors!

Artist's Statement

Thank you to God, my family, the co-creators who helped paint this work, Interfaith Volunteers and Care Givers of Greater New Haven, NXTHVN, and the rest of our exceptional team of community partners. This PIXEL Project brought together people that represent all backgrounds, skill and experience levels, ages, and primary languages. As Mrs. Clarke explains, “[This PIXEL Project] wasn’t something that left anybody out.”

Community members decided that we would paint a landscape that would join together gardens in conversation with the more natural world. I titled this work “Our Communities at the Public Garden’s Edge” to reflect this. An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly flutters in the foreground. We painted a Japanese red maple to symbolize the garden. Garden spaces often include native plants like the North American red maple (Acer rubrum) and the Charter Oak (Quercus alba), and plants found in other countries like the Japanese red maple (Acer palmatum). The Japanese red maple in this painting symbolizes the diverse plants that nurseries throughout New England source from around the world to install in garden spaces throughout Connecticut. The maple’s big red leaves stand out against the bright blue sky like flowers do.

Isolation caused by mobility challenges make many spaces inaccessible to seniors. Cultivating Connections, a program of the CT Garden Collaborative, helps us most because it gets us out of our isolation and it puts us in contact with each other. At the March 10 Creation Session at NXTHVN, 57 community members helped to paint this work. Five more community members helped paint this work from home. We created this artwork together, step-by-step, with a shared vision to develop a community that is intentionally inclusive.

This painting is exceptional because it is painted by the same community that it serves. As Jennifer Baerman explains, “Being part of something like this, [Cultivating Connections] community, gives life more meaning.” As Rose Grenfell explains, “When people get older, like me, there are lots of comments. You hear others generalize our experience and situation. In truth, they cannot fully understand. I’ve faced poverty. I’ve faced limitations of food. I’ve faced challenges getting to my doctors. And I’ve faced isolation. But I still love nature and people. To have the opportunity to realize this, you are able to cherish experiences. This goes beyond the function of money. It addresses the value of living.” As Judith Hayward explains, this project is a practice in Tikkun Olam. Each person painted at least part of a Dot Sheet.

This painting is primarily made of partially painted Dot Sheets that I cut out and collaged/joined together. In this sense, these fragments work for us similar to kintsugi, our time together symbolized by the preciousness of gold. This work truly represents everyone who came together with us.

-Doug Jones

May 20, 2023

The Wonder Tree Unveiled

 See Saw Seeds CT/NY: A Japanese and American Collaborative Artist Residency

Like a small seed, sprouts and grows to bloom, See Saw Seed spreads and is beginning to sprout. Though small now, it is growing and will bloom into a larger, global art community, with members communicating through the power of art.

Stamford-based sculptor and instructor, Mark Andreas, and Westchester-based artist Laura R. Lavan, along with various local CT and NY partners, have joined forces with an established international artist and research program, “See Saw Seeds,” which was created with the Conference on Art and art Projects (CAP) from Kobe, Japan. See Saw Seeds has brought ceramic artist Akiko Geirin to Stamford, CT and the Bartlett Arboretum.

Akiko, Laura, and Mark collaborated to create a tree, which they call the Wonder Tree. They imagined that this tree grew from a seed of this artist exchange program. From that seed, this project blossomed meaningful relationships and connections among international artist communities.

Akiko conceived her ceramic pieces through her experience traveling from Japan to the United States and her encounters within the communities here in Connecticut and New York. For example, she found the moon to be a wonderous celestial being that connects Japan with the United States, which, for Akiko, had seemed like two alien worlds before she arrived in New York and saw the same moon guiding her. Akiko has also created a saw-like leaf to symbolize a conversation she had with Mark about the various potential interpretations of “See Saw Seeds,” especially the dual meaning of “saw” in English, which includes the past tense of the verb “to see” as well as the wood cutting tool that Mark often uses in his workshop. Also, for Akiko, it was surprising to see popcorn seemingly everywhere in America, which is seldom eaten in Japan. After learning that the United States is the largest producer, consumer, and exporter of corn in the world, she created two pieces that resemble flowers, but are actually inspired by popcorn.

Laura made pieces representing the Connecticut Laurel to highlight the natural world within the local community. Mark constructed the tree out of cedar, which has been used for exterior buildings, including Japanese temples, for tens of thousands of years because of its ability to resist rot and stand the test of time. As such, the Wonder Tree complements the Bartlett Arboretum’s significant collection of conifer trees from around the world.

On the Wonder Tree, you will also find various creatures, each of which represents one of the artists. Can you figure out who is who?

Special thanks to Louise Bergman for her assistance and artistry as well as Gauri Gidwani for her unending support. Many thanks to the Studio Andreas community and everyone who made the project happen and welcomed Akiko, especially Kunjan and Curt.