Painted garden
Thursday, April 21- Sunday, May 15, 2022
Wednesday – Sunday | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Member Opening: Wednesday, April 20 (5-8 p.m.)
After a long winter, Powell Gardens cheerfully welcomes Painted Garden. This spring festival celebrates the color, joy, and creativity of nature with spectacular botanical displays and inventive floral design. Rooted in Kansas City’s art community and presented in partnership with Peregrine Honig and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Powell Gardens invites you to imagine the garden as a gallery each spring.
Featured artist, Peregrine Honig, will display her new work Ophrys in the glass-domed Conservatory. Crafted like a Victorian Tableau, the display provides Powell Gardens visitors the opportunity to explore the artworks of five regional artists set amidst a lush botanic and Victorian-inspired drawing room.
As you stroll through the gardens don’t miss the latest Garden Gallery botanic displays and new work from Saint Louis artist, Rachel Youn. Youn’s animated botanic sculpture, Tuzzy-Muzzy, draws inspiration from the rise in popularity of the nosegay during the eighteenth century. This play on the flower garland has a personality of it’s own as it writhes and rests, further embedding humor into the collecting frenzies that occurred during the era.
Pictured: Duane Hoover’s container (titled Spring in the Dead Wood) from 2021.
Featured Artist: Peregrine Honig
Video by Chadwick Christopher.
Ophrys | Peregrine Honig
Conservatory (Powell Gardens Visitor Center)
Daily during festival | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Peregrine Honig was born in San Francisco and graduated from The Kansas City Art Institute in 2019. The youngest living artist to be purchased for the permanent collection of The Whitney Museum of American Art, Honig is collected by Harvard, Yale, The Milwaukee Museum of Art, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Kemper Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, The Chicago Art Institute, and recently completed a twenty-year survey at The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in September of 2021.
Internationally curated for her delicate line and elegant images of contemporary mythology, Honig’s art unveils awkward social constructs and intimate revelations. Ophrys, Honig’s latest work created for Painted Garden, is a Victorian Tableau that provides Powell Gardens visitors the opportunity to explore the artworks of five regional artists set amid a lush botanic and Victorian-inspired drawing room. Staged in the conservatory, visitors are invited to explore the tableau, viewing reproductions of artworks created during a live drawing session held prior to the festival’s opening.
(Stay tuned for more details about this installation and for information on Honig’s artist-talk and film screening!)
Additional Artists and Artwork
For the second year, a curated selection of botanic container designs inspired by artworks from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s collection will be on view throughout the Visitor Center Terraces.
Featured designers include:
- Ferrell Richardson and Marydee Richardson of The Cottage Rose
- Jessica Teliczan of Paradise Garden Club
- Andy Ozier
- Amyann Kahler and Amy Loux of Daylight Flora
- John Rufenacht
- Katie Mabry van Dieren of The Strawberry Swing
- Cody and Ariel Roelofsz of Ursa & Vixen Seed Co.
- Bill Jennings and Richard Triggs
- Brian Morely of Bergamot and Ivy Design
- Miriamne Marlowe
Tuzzy-Muzzy | Rachel Youn
Garden Gallery breezeway
Daily during festival | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Rachel Youn (b. 1994, Abington, PA) received their BFA from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Youn uses sculpture and new media to poke fun at hierarchical narratives embedded in objects and lifestyles. Sourcing from home furnishing stores and oriental goods peddled on craigslist, their work collapses notions of authenticity and artifice through the lens of identity. Youn has exhibited widely and is a recipient of the Regional Arts Commission Artist Support Grant and the Vermont Studio Center Fellowship. Most recently, they received the 2020 Great Rivers Biennial Award and opened the solo exhibition “Gather” at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis.
As the title of this work suggests, Tuzzy-Muzzy, draws inspiration from the rise in popularity of the nosegay during the eighteenth century. Embedded with humor, the flower garland writhes, wiggles and rests. The faux flower selections included serve as a nod the collecting frenzies of the time including orchid mania.
April 20-24 | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Visitor Center Grand Hall
During opening weekend (April 20-24, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.), Kansas City Ikebana fills the Grand Hall with individual arrangements and a stunning group creation. Club members draw inspiration from Evening Effect, a French piece by Jean-Baptiste-Armand Guillaumin from the Nelson-Atkin Museum of Art’s collection. The display allows guests to enjoy many interpretations side by side.
Garden Gallery
Daily during festival | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Victorian-era brought about a heightened interest and enthusiasm for observing the natural world. The Garden Gallery (formerly Seed to Plate Greenhouse) has been transformed into a Victorian-inspired greenhouse mimicking the spaces where enthusiastic hobbyists and amateur botanists alike would daydream, study, and play in the dirt.
Frozen in time, the botanic display imagined by Lead Horticulturist, Eric Perette, showcases plants from Powell Gardens’ collection that were considered rare alongside a variety of edibles, offering a highly visual and educational display of plants in various stages of growth. Visitors will observe different propagation and growing methods, seeing and learning firsthand how a single seed or cutting transforms into a fully mature and fruiting plant.
Generously donated by Jonathan and Nancy Lee Kemper, a collection of Longshadow Planters dots the spring landscape. Look for seasonal arrangements on the Visitor Center Terraces, in the Fountain Garden, and at the Missouri Barn.
Family Discovery
Wildflower Workbook
Daily during festival | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Pick up a Wildflower Workbook at the front desk (while supplies last). This kid-friendly field guide is perfect for learning more about spring in the Gardens through observation, drawing, and writing. Share your work by tagging Powell Gardens and using the hashtags #paintedgardenkc and #wildflowerworkbookkc.
Discovery Cart
Daily during the festival | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Look for the brand-new Discovery Cart in the Children’s Garden. This docent-hosted station offers self-guided materials to help you learn about parts of a flower using Powell Gardens’ herbarium collection. Check in here to see what’s blooming each week!
Featured Events
Mother’s Day Brunch
May 7-8, 2022 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Terrace Room (Visitor Center)
Gardens admission is free for moms May 7-8, 2022
Treat mom to a very special Mother’s Day picnic at Powell Gardens! Order brunch ahead of time here and pick up in the Gardens 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on May 7-8, 2022. Enjoy time with family indoors or outdoors on this special weekend. Don’t forget to snap a family photo amongst spring blooms!
Add-ons like cake, bubbly, and flowers are also available for purchase. Order by May 4, 2022 to ensure availability.
May 14 & 15 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Missouri Barn
Included with admission | Members receive free admission
Celebrate the emergence of spring with the season’s newest creatures! Baby goats, bunnies, chicks, and lambs from Storm Dancer Farms will be onsite for the whole family to cuddle and pose with.
May 15 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Show your botanical tattoo or botanical name during check-in to receive a Powell Gardens botanical sticker, free drink, and one entry into a Marketplace gift basket drawing. Promotion can only be used once per guest and only on May 15, 2022.
Painted Garden Classes
Artful Gardens: Painted Garden
Sunday, May 1 | 3-6 p.m.
$50 | 10% less for members
Which came first, the artist or the garden? To explore the connection between visual art and the natural world, join instructor, Donna Houtteman, of ArtBlocksKC for the latest installment in the Artful Gardens series.
The spring session includes a 90-minute session exploring artists that use springtime themes and flowers for their inspiration. After the presentation, guests will enjoy wine, beer, and light snacks while receiving a private guided tour of the Conservatory, as well as the spring blooms on display at Powell Gardens.
Thursday, April 12 | 10-11 a.m.
$15 | 10% less for members
All young garden explorers are welcome to participate in Family Program: Herb Planting. Attendees will channel their creativity and paint their own terra cotta pot. While the paint dries, Powell Gardens’ gardeners will teach a brief lesson on growing herbs in pots. Children will plant their own herb seeds to grow at home!
This program is recommended for ages 6 and below. Tickets to Family Program: Herb Planting includes admission to Powell Gardens’ spring festival, Painted Garden, a value of $12.
Adults do not need to register. Only register children who will be making a herb pot to take home.
Saturday, April 30 | 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$60 | $42 for members
In this Lunchtime Lecture, learn about one of the most interesting times in botanical history. Tulip Mania refers to the time during the Dutch Golden Age when prices for the recently introduced bulb reached extraordinarily high levels.
Join Education Manager, Caitlin Eckard, for a deep dive into the social history of Tulip Mania as well as the lasting effects on the Dutch economy after the bust of tulip sales. After lunch, attendees will tour (weather permitting) one of Powell Gardens’ spring flower collections.
A boxed lunch and non-alcoholic drink are included with class registration. Tickets also include admission into Painted Garden, Powell Gardens’ spring festival, at a value of $12.
Saturday, April 30 | 2-3:30 p.m.
$50 | $33 for members
Have you thought about what the bouquet of flowers you’re sending really means? Historically, different flowers have been thought to represent big ideas or feelings like love, friendship, sorrow, and patience. Join Education Manager, Caitlin Eckard, to uncover the meaning of various flowers and colors.
After the presentation, attendees will make their own pressed flower artwork to take home. Tickets include general admission to Powell Gardens’ spring festival, Painted Garden, a $12 value.
Saturday, May 7 | 11 a.m. – noon
$20 | $8 for members
Anyone can grow beautiful roses! Laura Dickinson, an American Rose Society Master Consulting Rosarian, will share how to choose the right varieties and understand the growing conditions that help them thrive. Additionally, Dickinson will teach attendees the history of roses, how new roses are developed, and how to select the best roses for your garden. Learn basic rose care and leave with tips to successfully grow these beautiful blooms at home.
Tuesday, May 10 | 1-4 p.m.
$90 per class | $240 for three-part series
*10% membership discount only applied when signing up for an individual class in this series
Ona Gieschen’s Native Prairie, located just outside of Sedalia, Missouri, is owned and managed by Powell Gardens. The Native Prairie Series, a series of workshops taught at Ona’s Prairie by staff Conservationist, Julie Copley, aims to provide participants valuable perspective on this critical Midwest ecosystem. Each workshop will highlight topics surrounding the tallgrass prairie such as biodiversity, management, and conservation, as well as include a discussion of the highlighted prairie plant species for additional community context.
In the first workshop, participants will receive an introduction to tallgrass prairies, including ecological perspectives and distinction amidst other grassland types. Additionally, identification of the major plant families found in this ecosystem as well as techniques for plant identification will be presented. The plant of focus for this class is Painted Cup (Castilleja coccinea).
Participants can sign up for all three classes in the series or select individual classes based on the topics presented. Classes will be held outside at Ona’s Prairie, so please wear close-toed shoes, long pants, hats, and bug spray. There will be a picnic area and water available for a break time. Portable toilets will also be onsite.
Food & Beverage at Painted Garden
Daily | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Visitor Center
Visit The Marketplace at Powell Gardens for grab-and-go food options alongside locally made and garden-inspired gifts.
Daily | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Marketplace at Powell Gardens
Located in The Marketplace, the Painted Garden Dessert Bar features specialty cookies and cupcakes along with Annedore’s Chocolates.
Daily | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Visitor Center Grand Hall
Botanical beers, wine, soda, and snacks are available for purchase in the Visitor Center. Pick up a seasonal beverage before heading out to experience spring in the Gardens!
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Missouri Barn
Visit the Missouri Barn for refreshments. ReFresh serves beer, wine, soda, and snacks. Ascend to the top of the silo for a bird’s eye view of spring blooms.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Painted Garden is supported by the generosity of community partners.
Pam and Gary Gradinger
Jonathan and Nancy Lee Kemper
Mary Anne McDowell
Brad and Linda Nicholson
Stay tuned! More information coming soon.