Opening of Exhibitions at the Jardins de Métis

Opening of Exhibitions at the Jardins de Métis

This summer, Les Jardins de Métis celebrate nature in all its complexity — from the fragility of a rare flower to the richness of artistic imagination.

At the heart of this season: the centennial of the Himalayan blue poppy, an emblematic flower whose story inspires two exhibitions. The first, Saving the Blue Poppy: Centennial Exhibition, is a signature exhibition by artist T.M. Glass, curated by Alexander Reford and Marjelaine Sylvestre. The second, Exotique: Dreaming of a Plant World, created by the Reford Gardens Museum Team, offers an exploration of the horticultural world through botanical discoveries, current scientific approaches, and interactive works, including historic plants from the Gardens.

We invite you to discover the exhibitions and meet the curators and artists during a double opening on Sunday, June 15 at 2 p.m. at the Estevan Lodge at the Jardins de Métis.
 

SAVING THE BLUE POPPY:
A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION EXHIBITION

By T.M. Glass, artist 
Alexander Reford, Curator
Marjelaine Sylvestre, Curator 

100 years ago, the Himalayan blue poppy was close to extinction.  This rare, stunningly beautiful flower was saved from extinction by the British perennial expert, Frank Kingdon-Ward with an extraordinary mission to protect the plant from medicinal hunters digging up its roots. Kingdon-Ward took many Himalayan Mountain expeditions to find blue poppy seeds, returning for more after he couldn't get them to germinate.

At last, he was able to display blue poppy flowers at the 1926 London Chelsea Garden show, which caused a sensation.  He  distributed blue poppy seeds to gardens around the world and now, 100 years later, his efforts to save the gorgeous blue poppy from extinction continues in Victoria, British Columbia, at the Butchart Gardens, Pennsylvania at Longwood Gardens, in Quebec at Reford Gardens, and in Scotland at Royal Horticultural Gardens where the plants receive the special care, climate and soil needed to survive.

What makes this centennial celebration important is that earthly concerns and distress over industrial environmental issues can sideline concerns for declining treasures of the botanical world. This exhibition shines a light on how people in different parts of the world are working hard to save one tiny, endangered flower that is difficult to grow: the Himalayan Blue Poppy (botanical name: Meconopsis betonicifolia).

About the artist, T.M. Glass
The work of digital artist T.M. Glass opens the door to new ways of thinking about photography by exploring the historical, technological, and aesthetic conditions of the medium, pushing it beyond its traditional definition. Using cutting-edge photographic technology, the artist reworks each image to create intricate details and textures, utilizing a digital painting technique developed through exploration of the medium and mastery of digital software and hardware tools. The completed works are collages, merging photographic images and digital painting.

Based in Toronto, Canada, T.M. Glass is an alumna of the Fine Arts program at the University of Ontario College of Art and Design. In 2010, the artist chose digital photography as her artistic medium. At that time, high-resolution, professional-quality digital printers, cameras, and software were newly available, and artists learned how to use them by studying the technical manuals that came with the equipment.

For more information, visit: www.tmglass.com
 

EXOTIQUE 
DREAMING OF A PLANT WORLD 

By Les Amis des Jardins de Métis

To mark the centenary of the first appearance of Himalayan blue poppy plants (Meconopsis betonicifolia) in Western amateur gardens, Exotique. Dreaming of a Plant World questions the use of this qualifier to name that which comes from afar. Isn't a plant exotic to one person indigenous to another? Can a specimen growing nearby inspire a sense of foreignness? 

Based on these questions, the exhibition presents both botanical discoveries made in the 19th and 20th centuries and contributions from current science. The latter, aimed at protecting biodiversity, allows for the meticulous study of specimens. This detailed observation inspired fashion designer and artist Ying Gao in the creation of Can't and Won't, two interactive dresses integrated into the exhibition. A part of the exhibition is also dedicated to the presentation of plants from here and elsewhere, as well as to cultivars, that is, human creations, planted by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958 in her gardens at Grand-Métis. 

Exotique. Dreaming of a Plant World thus invites visitors to discover the horticultural universe.

About the artist, Ying Gao
A fashion designer and professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and former head of the Fashion, Accessories & Jewelry Design program at HEAD–Geneva, Ying Gao has distinguished herself through the creation of numerous creative projects presented in approximately one hundred exhibitions worldwide. Her diverse creative work has received international media coverage, and her creations can be found in numerous private and public collections, including those of Dakis Joannou, M+ Hong Kong, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

For more information, visit: www.yinggao.ca

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VERNISSAGE – Sunday, June 15 at 2 p.m., at the Estevan Lodge of the Reford Gardens

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Reservation is not required.

This activity is free for the members of Les Amis des Jardins de Métis and for people who have paid their entrance fee to the Jardins de Métis.