02/07/2025
Mark your calendars and please join us here at The Barn to celebrate The Pollinators Project, presented by the Woman’s Art Club of Cincinnati Foundation and sponsored by Wimberg Landscaping, running February 20 - March 2, 2025!
Even in the dead of winter, gardeners are planning for spring. Whether contemplating a spectacle of color in the landscape that will run from early spring to late fall or how to increase that tomato crop, the science of pollination is critical. More and more, gardeners and farmers are taking the plight of pollinators seriously, and taking steps to bring the critters back.
The celebration begins with a themed exhibition in the gallery at The Barn that opens to the public Friday, February 21, from 6 – 8:30pm. Asha White, Director of Education at the Kennedy Heights Art Center, is the exhibition juror and will select the artworks for the exhibition. Colleen Houston, Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of ArtWorks, will judge the exhibition for cash awards totaling $2,550. Categories include 2-D, 3-D, and photographic art.
Gallery Hours continue weekends 1-4pm and Tuesday through Friday from 10am–2pm through March 2.
A host of speakers will share how any gardener can take simple steps, this year, to make their garden a haven for native pollinators. The speakers list includes Jennifer Smith, naturalist and garden designer with Wimberg Landscaping who will give valuable tips on garden design as she shares Travel Destinations to Inspire Your Next Garden; Rita Heikenfeld, renown columnist for the Enquirer, radio personality and garden expert who will present a program on Suburban Herb Gardens; Sarah Geiger-Behm will talk bee basics in her Think Like a Bee presentation; and the week rounds out with Scott Beuerlein from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden talking about Pollinators Under Pressure. Tickets are $15, available online.
Workshops will include activities for adults and kids — Pressed Flower Creations with Meerah Smallwood, Beginner Print & Stamp Workshop with Elizabeth Ross, Busy Bees Craft for Kids with Sarah Geiger Behm, and a captivating Bee Motel Craft with Maria Bailey. All dates, times and registration information are on The Barn website: artatthebarn.org.
The Garden Market on Saturday, March 1 is a mix of vendors selling items to adorn your garden such as mosaic flowerpots and lawn ornaments, and items that bring the beauty of the garden indoors like miniature gardens, pottery, pressed flower art, soap made with natural ingredients and local honey. Buy seeds from Native Roots, and raised beds from One Small Garden. Have fun making paper with natural materials from Peg Rhein’s garden, or learn about herbs from the Herb Society of Greater Cincinnati. The Weavers Guild will share a look at their dyeing garden where they grow plants that make dyes for natural fibers. This event runs from 10am until 3pm and is free to the public.
For additional information, contact The Barn: 513-272-3700 or www.artatthebarn.org
