See the seasons change at the Garden! Advance tickets are required.

Art in the Garden: Spring Weekends

Art in the Garden: Spring Weekends

Special Events

Saturday & Sunday Afternoons | April 17–May 9, 2021

Celebrate the welcome return of spring at Brooklyn Botanic Garden with casual, pop-up music and dance performances on weekends. All programs free with Garden admission.

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Saturday, April 17, 2021

  • Sachiyo Ito and Company

    Two Japanese dancers in traditional costumes with colorful fans

    1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m.
    Cherry Esplanade

    The Japanese dance company performs three works: Sakura, Cherry Blossom; Yanagi no Wakaba, Young Leaves of Willows; and an excerpt from Shiki no Hana, Flowers in Four Seasons.

    Dance Japan Artist Website

  • Jonathan Michel with Talie Cerin

    A smiling black man with dreadlocks and rope necklaces in front of a classical bass.

    2 p.m.
    Plant Family Collection

    Bassist Jonathan Michel and singer Talie Cerin celebrate Haitian women composers.

    Jonathan Michel Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with Haiti Cultural Exchange

  • Djembe Drumming Ministry

    A smiling woman with dark dreadlocks in front of a shrub by a bed of flowers

    3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m.
    Osborne Garden

    A trio of drummers, led by Dr. Ava Jolley from First Baptist Church of Crown Heights, play West African rhythms to wake and inspire.

    Reverend Jolly Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with FiveMyles

Sunday, April 18, 2021

  • Afro-Cuban Dance with TaDeo Asojano & Elsa Cruz Pearson

    Two dancers in cotton suits waving branches while onlookers watch

    1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
    Osborne Garden

    Traditional folkloric dances, songs, and music with origins in West and Central Africa.

    Tony Domenech Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance

  • Brownstone Jazz Ensemble

    A mature, stylish black man holds the neck of a stringed instrument.

    2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m.
    Plant Family Collection

    Eric Lemons (bass), Marco DiGennaro (piano), and Dwayne Cook Broadnax (drums) play jazz.

    Brownstone Jazz Ensemble Artist Website

  • Annette Phillip & Stacey Ann Douglas with Stanichka Dimitrova

    A selfie of a Black woman in a striped shirt with a smiling child

    3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m.
    Fragrance Garden

    Two graduates of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Nannies’ Fairy Tale Writing Workshops read their stories and poetry, accompanied by Stanichka Dimitrova on violin.

    Presented in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library

Saturday, April 24, 2021

  • Masayo Ishigure & MIYABI Koto Shamisen Ensemble

    An Asian woman in a kimono with a colorful obi in front of a koto

    1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
    Osborne Garden

    Spring-themed Japanese contemporary ensemble music played on shamisen and koto.

    Masayo Ishigure Artist Website

  • SAKAI & RINO

    Side by side images of an Asian man and woman, both with stringed instruments

    2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m.
    Water Garden

    Japanese popular and anime songs with Okinawa music by SAKAI on ukulele/guitar/vocals and RINO on sanshin/vocals.

  • Nobuki Takamen Trio

    An Asian man dressed in black plays a red guitar.

    3:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 5:15 p.m.
    Cherry Esplanade

    Jazz standards, jazz versions of Japanese popular and children’s songs, and Takamen’s original tunes.

    Nobuki Takamen Artist Website

Sunday, April 25, 2021

  • Adam Fisher

    A man with curly grey hair stands in front of a shrub with a bass in a case.

    1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
    Osborne Garden

    Adam Fisher sings his hilarious original animal songs, accompanying himself on the cello.

    Adam Fisher Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with FiveMyles

  • Mia, Okai & SeeYou

    A brown-skinned man with a whistle among drum players

    2 p.m.
    Cherry Esplanade

    Mia, Okai, and SeeYou perform traditional Haitian folk songs and drumming.

    Okai Fleurimont Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with Haiti Cultural Exchange

  • Shira Kobren

    A woman with long curly hair plays guitar against a purple brick wall

    3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m.
    Water Garden

    Fresh off the release of her new album, Kobren offers an interactive, family-friendly performance of Jewish pop and rock.

    Shira Kobren Artist Website

Saturday, May 1, 2021

  • Kotchegna Dance Company

    Drummers and dancers in tribal-print masts and colorful patchwork outfits raise their right fists in the air

    1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
    Osborne Garden

    Dancers in elaborate masks and the explosive percussion of a corps of brilliant drummers bring to life the ancient stories of Africa’s Ivory Coast.

    Kotchegna Dance Company Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance

  • Brownstone Jazz Ensemble

    A mature, stylish black man holds the neck of a stringed instrument.

    2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m.
    Plant Family Collection

    Eric Lemons (bass), Marcus Persiani (piano), and Cleave Guyton (sax/flute) play jazz.

    Brownstone Jazz Ensemble Artist Website

  • Karen Moore & Emilia Herman with Alice Jones

    A Black woman with short tight braids in front of a green and white leaved shrub.

    2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m.
    Water Garden

    Two graduates of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Nannies’ Fairy Tale Writing Workshops read their fairy tales, accompanied by Alice Jones on flute.

    Presented in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library

Sunday, May 2, 2021

  • Mantra Percussion, loved.

    Six men in a circle play electronic horizontal bars with mallets under purple light

    Hourly from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    Cherry Esplanade

    Every hour on the hour, Mantra Percussion performs loved., a site-specific sound composition for seven percussionists playing tuned metals.

    Mantra Percussion Artist Website

  • Keisha St. Joan and Her Ensemble

    A mature Black woman wearing a scarf in the pattern of piano keys

    1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
    Plant Family Collection

    Legendary song stylist Keisha St. Joan gathers her ensemble to share the joys of jazz and blues.

    Presented in partnership with FiveMyles

  • Joanie Leeds

    A woman with long dark hair lounges with an acoustic guitar

    3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m.
    Water Garden

    Singing Jewish and secular songs from her nine children’s albums, Grammy Award winner Joanie Leeds celebrates spring, New York City, and animals.

    Joanie Leeds Artist Website

Saturday, May 8, 2021

  • Bomba with Bombazo Dance Company

    A Black woman in a yellow head wrap and swirling, billowing dress

    1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
    Plant Family Collection

    Bomba, an exuberant dance executed as a conversation between drummer and dancer, celebrates Puerto Rico’s African roots.

    Bombazo Dance Company Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance

  • Riva Precil featuring Monvelyno Alexis & Markus Schwartz

    A smiling Black man and woman in patterned clothes and striking jewelry

    2 p.m.
    Cherry Esplanade

    Riva and guests perform a fusion of Haitian rasin (roots), jazz, and African rhythms.

    Riva Precil Artist Website

    Presented in partnership with Haiti Cultural Exchange

  • Meet the Artist for Terminal Moraine

    Ben Rubin in the Woodland Garden

    2–4 p.m.
    Woodland Garden

    Meet Ben Rubin, one of the creators of Terminal Moraine, the site-specific audio installation in BBG’s walled garden.

    See more about Terminal Moraine

  • Janessa W. Walters & Jennifer Fisher with Linda Russell

    A Black woman with thick locs and a big grey scarf in front of a vivid blue wall

    3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m.
    Osborne Garden

    Two graduates of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Nannies’ Fairy Tale Writing Workshops read their fairy tales, accompanied by Linda Russell on dulcimer.

    Presented in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library

Sunday, May 9, 2021

  • Brownstone Jazz Ensemble

    A mature, stylish black man holds the neck of a stringed instrument.

    1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m.
    Cherry Esplanade

    Eric Lemons (bass), Lafayette Harris Jr. (piano), and Duane Eubanks (trumpet) play jazz.

    Brownstone Jazz Ensemble Artist Website

  • Sachiyo Ito and Company

    Two Japanese dancers in traditional costumes with colorful fans

    2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m.
    Magnolia Plaza

    The Japanese dance company performs three works: Sakura, Cherry Blossom; Yanagi no Wakaba, Young Leaves of Willows; and an excerpt from Shiki no Hana, Flowers in Four Seasons.

    Dance Japan Artist Website

  • Frank London

    A man in a black jacket and purple hat sits serenely in front of mural of a brownstone roofline

    3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m.
    Osborne Garden

    Trumpeter Frank London of the Klezmatics is joined by Deep Singh and Ilya Shneyveys to play traditional and modern klezmer, with a spicy mix of Russian and Punjabi music.

    Frank London Artist Website

Support

Presented in partnership with Haiti Cultural Exchange, FiveMyles, Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Brownstone Jazz, and the Brooklyn Public Library.

Art in the Garden is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Logo for New York State Council on the Arts

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