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Brooklyn Botanic Garden 2005 Annual Report
Public Programs
Brooklyn Botanic Garden seeks always to expand and diversify its audience, and new and vibrant programming is crucial to this effort. This year, BBG created a summerlong interpretive program called Plants of the World. Visitors were encouraged to pick up a brochure to guide them through the collections, learning along the way about the many fascinating uses of plants in different cultures. Cherokee healers, for instance, used jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) to treat poison ivy, measles, and other skin irritations. The leaves of the shrub henna (Lawsonia inermis) are used for ceremonial body art in Muslim and Hindu cultures, and the wood of the white ash tree (Fraxinus americana) is used to make baseball bats, including the famed Louisville Slugger. Special weekend events—guided tours and workshops for children—rounded out the program.
More than 5,100 visitors enjoyed a taste of BBG's diverse educational programs, including our popular children's activities Designs With Dried Flowers and Planting Fun in Silly Containers.
The fall season kicked off in September with Harvest Fair. This year was particularly special as the Children's Garden celebrated its 90th anniversary reunion and celebration, with attendance by over 350 alumni and family members. Awards were given to alumni and current participants in simultaneous ceremonies that morning, and both groups joined in a parade from the Lily Pool Terrace to the Children's Garden. More than 5,100 visitors enjoyed a taste of BBG's diverse educational programs, including our popular children's activities Designs With Dried Flowers and Planting Fun in Silly Containers. Continuing Education and Brooklyn GreenBridge featured demonstrations throughout the day as well as a new element, mini-workshops. GreenBridge also provided a worm-composting display featuring "Joan the Worm Doctor," information on the Asian longhorned beetle, and a potting-up activity supported by the Garden Oasis Garden Club. Teen musicians from the Brooklyn-based CASYM Steel Orchestra presented a dynamic performance. Families joined a square dance in the Cherry Esplanade with music by the bluegrass ensemble the Fiddleheads, and children embarked on a botanical scavenger hunt in the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery, featuring work from the exhibit " 'Wild' Flowers: The Botanical Whimsy of Peggy A. Guest."
During the first weekend in October, the Chile Pepper Fiesta attracted more than 11,000 visitors with such renowned performers as Delta blues sensation Guy Davis.
During the first weekend in October, the Chile Pepper Fiesta attracted more than 11,000 visitors. The renowned performers included Texas rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef, the celebrated Haitian ensemble Tabou Combo Superstars, French Gypsy jazz musicians Stephane Wrembel's Hotclub, Afro-pop percussionist Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng, Oklahoma guitar prodigy Shane Henry, Afro-Brazilian ensemble Maracatu New York, and Cajun dance bands the Lost Bayou Ramblers and the Cajun Chile Hotsteppers. The program also featured a roster of roots-music performances: Delta blues sensation Guy Davis, the old-time sounds of the Wiyos, the all-female ensemble Paprika, and the 1950s rockabilly band the Hi-Risers.
Visitors also enjoyed Cajun dance lessons, a presentation on Cajun cooking and culture, a breathtaking performance by the cast of the off-Broadway Korean show Cookin', chile-gardening tips from the Chile Goddess (who runs the largest website for chile plants in the world), and steel drum performances by teens from CASYM. The Mexican Cultural Institute also presented cooking demonstrations by celebrated Mexican chefs Barbara Sibley and Roberto Santibáñez.
A record-breaking 9,800 costumed children and their parents celebrated Halloween at Ghouls and Gourds. The legendary a cappella ensemble the Persuasions charmed audiences with their dynamic showmanship and vocal talent. Piccolo Circus performers, culled from circuses all over the world, juggled fire, walked tightropes, and spun hula hoops for a delighted audience.
Other performances included a Brazilian body-percussion workshop, music by the Wiyos, African and Caribbean storytelling, and Phydeaux's Flying Flea Circus of Fate. Ghouls and Gourds also featured a number of demonstrations: medieval armor making, Thai pumpkin carving, instrument making, food sculpture, book illustration, a pot and pan orchestra, and "Al the Aggravating Asian Longhorned Beetle" from the U.S. Forest Service. The event's signature costume parade ended with a massive drum circle led by musicians from the Brazilian ensemble Maracatu New York. Children maneuvered a menagerie of 20-foot puppets designed by Flying Bridge Community Arts.
BBG celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. every January, and this year's performance featured the Brooklyn-based Great Day Chorale. Founder and director Louvinia Pointer and her family led a program that included spirituals, theatrical performances, and chamber music. The audience joined in on several numbers, including the grand finale, "We Shall Overcome."
During the weekend of April 30 and May 1, close to 37,500 visitors flocked to BBG's signature event: Sakura Matsuri. The cherry blossom festival featured several world-class artists performing at BBG for the first time, including the vocalist, pianist, and composer Akiko Yano and the contemporary dance troupe Jennifer Muller/The Works. Other new performances included actor and samurai master Yoshi Amao's samurai spectacle, Brooklyn-based drum corps Taiko Masala, and contemporary festival dance by Tentekomai. In addition, the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery displayed the work of contemporary Japanese artists. Young visitors delighted in performances by children in taiko drumming, traditional dance, and samurai sword fighting. Children and their families also participated in new taiko drum workshops. Returning festival favorites included traditional drumming, dance and court music, tea ceremonies, ikebana flower arranging, and children's workshops.
June Is Rose Month at BBG, and to celebrate the Garden's rose collection, staff organized a diversified program including an interpretive brochure with a self-guided trail, weekend guided tours, activities for children, and classes featuring rose-related topics. On Sunday, June 5, visitors enjoyed "Jazz & Roses," a program of outdoor jazz music, a special tour of the Cranford Rose Garden led by BBG rosarian Anne O'Neill, and rose-themed Discovery Workshops for children.