Archtober – The Garden of Stones: From Planting to Present

The Museum’s outdoor exhibition the Garden of Stones is international artist, sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy’s first permanent commission in New York City. This living memorial garden of trees growing out of eighteen stone boulders was created by the artist, who welcomed Holocaust survivors and their families to plant the saplings in 2003. This contemplative space, visible from almost every floor in the Museum, presents the effect of time on humans and nature, representing the lifecycle in every way as the trees live and die. The sculpture is intended to be viewed again and again, and cared for by future generations.

In conjunction with Archtober, New York City’s architecture and design month, the Museum will share reflections on the Garden of Stones by its creator and talk with caretaker Charles Day, who has been tending to the garden since 2004, about his work and experiences preparing the Garden for the coming generations.

Charles Day has been caring for the Garden of Stones since 2004. He studied horticulture in the UK and began his career working in fruit tree orchards at commercial farms and at scientific research centers. He was a senior supervisor at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Wisley Gardens in the UK and, after moving to New York in 2000, has worked as a consultant at private and public gardens. He was for many years the Ruth Rea Howell Horticultural Interpreter at Wave Hill, a renowned public garden in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. He retired from Wave Hill in 2020.

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