Garden Days—Popular Annual Event at The Met Cloisters—Scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4
Garden Days—an annual weekend of activities devoted to the plants and gardens of The Met Cloisters—will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters is a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages.
"Plants at Work" is the theme of this year's event. Talks, tours, and demonstrations will take place in and around the gardens of The Met Cloisters, and the focus will be on the medieval awareness of the health and medical benefits of herbs. A workshop for children ages 4–12 will introduce them to plants used in the medieval household and beyond.
The gardens at The Met Cloisters were designed according to horticultural information in medieval treatises and poetry, herbal and garden documents, and works of art. Members of the Museum's horticultural staff will be present throughout the weekend to discuss unique aspects of tending to these gardens.
Programs are free with Museum admission. The event will take place rain or shine.
These programs are made possible by the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, Inc.
Schedule (Saturday and Sunday)
All programs begin in the Main Hall.
Talks and Tours
10:30–11 a.m: An Exploration of Plants Used in the Medieval Household
Yvette Weaver, Gardener, The Met Cloisters
11 a.m.–noon: Tour of The Met Cloisters Gardens
Sigrid Goldiner, Lecturer
Noon–1 p.m.: Health at Home: Herbs for the Medieval Woman
Carly Still, Assistant Horticulturist, The Met Cloisters
12:30–1 p.m.: An Exploration of Plants Used in the Medieval Household
Yvette Weaver, Gardener, The Met Cloisters
1–2 p.m.: Tour of The Met Cloisters Gardens
Sigrid Goldiner, Lecturer
1–2 p.m.: The Medieval Garden
Elizabeth Murphy, Instructor
2–3 p.m.: The Medieval Maker: Putting Plants to Work
Caleb Leech, Managing Horticulturist, The Met Cloisters
2:30–3 p.m.: An Exploration of Plants Used in the Medieval Household
Yvette Weaver, Gardener, The Met Cloisters
3–4 p.m.: Plants in Fashion: The Garden in Medieval Clothing
Jessamyn Conrad, Lecturer
For Children and Families
1–2 p.m.: Garden and Gallery Workshop for Children and Families
After looking at depictions of plants in works of art in the galleries, children will visit the Bonnefont Herb Garden to see, touch, and smell aromatic herbs and exotic spice plants that are mentioned in medieval manuscripts. The focus will be on plants that made life better: plants used in medicine and magic (rhubarb, sage, and rue); household herbs (lavender, lemon balm, and southernwood); and cooking herbs (fennel and lovage) and spice plants (pepper and turmeric). Children may smell and touch plants and clippings provided by the Gardens Office at The Met Cloisters. For children ages 4–12.
Other Garden-Related Offerings
The Audio Guide for The Met Cloisters includes a general highlights tour featuring the voices of Museum curators, conservators, educators, and horticulturists. The approximately two hours of random access programming covers the history of the Cloisters, its architecture, its gardens, and some 70 works of art. The tour is available for free download on smartphones.
The Audio Guide and The Met app are supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Visitor Information for The Met Cloisters
Open Seven Days a Week
March–October: 10 a.m.–5:15 p.m.
May 26–September 1, 2017: Open late on Fridays until 7:30 p.m.
November–February: 10 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1
Extended Summer Hours at The Met Cloisters are made possible in part by the Louis and Anne Barons Foundation, Inc. and The Helen Clay Frick Foundation.
