The New York Botanical Garden has a way of making The Bronx feel like the center of the universe, and for the 51st annual Conservatory Ball last Friday evening, it did exactly that. This year’s theme, Flower Power, is NYBG’s summer exhibition celebrating the enduring symbolism of flowers as icons of peace, love, and protest—and attendees certainly paid homage to all things floral when it came to the dress code.
Guests were greeted with passed cocktails and canapés beneath psychedelic tents as they found the Garden’s grounds alive with color at every turn. Folks arrived in scene-stealing black-tie attire, with many fully embracing a 1960s and ‘70s mood from head-to-toe. Outside the conservatory, one of the event’s partners, Mikimoto, channeled its own interpretation, with a rainbow-inspired display featuring the U.S. debut of its Prestige Rendezvous collection, alongside a rare conch pearl necklace that took years to make. “We’re from nature and always have been—our craftsmanship, and the alignment with the New York Botanical Garden is exactly the same,” said Georgina Coleman, Mikimoto’s SVP of Retail.
As people stepped into a colossal tent for the reception hour, purple and orange lights set the tone immediately while groovy printed installations hung overhead. Sequined tablecloths also twinkled beneath bursts of floral arrangements that decorated the space. Cloud Catering embraced the theme by serving plates of food in vibrant hues—including a fresh spring bean salad with edible flowers, miso-glazed black cod plated with bright purple daikon and heirloom carrot velouté, and a trio of botanical-shaped desserts.
Trustees, donors, and longtime supporters filled the venue, alongside Candace Bushnell, Cynthia Rowley, Jason Rembert, Priya Shukla, Tunde Oyeneyin, and Christopher Griffin, also known as Plant Kween. “Green spaces are not always accessible,” Griffin reflected. “Places like NYBG are lovely third spaces where we can reconnect with the land.”
As the night continued, brief speeches were given by J. Barclay Collins II, chairman of the board at NYBG, and president and CEO Jennifer Bernstein, who called the evening “a reunion of people who make possible what we do here.” DJ Runna closed out the night, drawing guests to the dance floor thanks to a set that spanned many eras and genres.
Proceeds from the evening support the Garden’s botanical research, children’s education, and horticulture programs, and with the Flower Power theme having taken over two years to conceptualize, the night felt like the celebration it deserved. Open now through October, the multidisciplinary show includes paintings, photography, protest posters, and monumental works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Milton Glaser, Joe Brainard, and Carlos Irizarry.
“We have a long planning cycle for all of our summer exhibitions due to the scale of them, and we always plan years in advance so we can execute at the very highest level. What drew us to Flower Power was the idea of highlighting the connection people have to flowers in the natural world and how that connection has been expressed across various time periods—most iconically, of course, the 1960s. It’s a summer of peace, love, and plants at NYBG,” Bernstein said proudly.
