NEW BEDFORD, MA

SEPT - OCT 2025

Salad Days

A fleeting art exhibition set in defunct historic greenhouses.

Salad Days was an exhibition in historic greenhouses of the late Allen Haskell, known as ‘a nurseryman with an artist’s eye’. Salad Days reimagines the defunct glass houses as vessels for dreaming: a contemplative nursery for a more hopeful future.

From Scotland to California, 21 artist’s were chosen for their work that bridges the functional and the fantastical—pieces that feel like tender inventions, emotional relics, or hopeful fictions.

This is a celebration of the urge to ornament, to myth-make, to wool-gather—a soft rebellion against the sterile and the mass-produced.

THE PLACE

Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens in New Bedford, MA is a hidden gem shaped by the late Allen Haskell, a nurseryman with an artist's eye. Known as "the king of topiary," his visionary aesthetic attracted Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Martha Stewart, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, while remaining just as beloved by local do-it-yourselfers making the pilgrimage to his nursery. Now a public garden owned and cared for by The Trustees of Reservations, the grounds hold rare trees and plant species, wooded pathways, and carved stone wells, alongside remnants of Haskell's topiary and landscape design.

Once overflowing with plant life, the historic greenhouses now stand quiet and defunct, awaiting future restoration. Salad Days took root in this liminal moment, transforming the glasshouses into a curatorial experiment that placed contemporary works in dialogue with the historical remnants of a once functional plant nursery.

THE CONCEPT

Salad Days was a celebration of the urge to ornament, to myth-make, to wool-gather. A soft rebellion against the sterile and the mass-produced.

In a world overwhelmed by mass production, digital overstimulation, and algorithmic sameness, Salad Days offered a counterpoint. We are drawn to ornamentation, traditional and naive craft, the handmade, the slow, the flawed, and the found: artifacts that carry the unmistakable imprint of the human hand.

THE EXHIBITION

Our first happening transformed three historic greenhouses into a fleeting, experimental exhibition featuring twenty-one artists and over sixty works. Visitors moved along garden paths, peering through greenhouse windows to view the work. We tested the bounds of curating in unconventional spaces and, through this, encouraged the public to expand their curiosity and look deeper. These experiences invite the community to reimagine their world and engage with nature, each other, and their own creativity in new ways.

We designed custom, site-specific exhibition signage and hosted a digital gallery where collectors could purchase work.

21

ARTISTS

64

WORKS

3

GREENHOUSES

WORK SHOWN

For this exhibition we were drawn to ornament, myth-making, the handmade, and the human trace. These artist’s works brought together reflected that sensibility across a range of forms.

  • Beatrice Alder (MA) 

    Elaine Alder (MA) 

    M. Aragon (MD) 

    Reilly Blum (GA)

    Siri Burt (NY) 

    Victoria Crouch (LA) 

    Sophie deJesus (IL) 

    Lily Fein (LA) 

    Lara Harrington (MA)

    Stephanie Land (NY) 

    Lobbin Liu (NY) 

    Suzie McMurtry (CA) 

    Michael Medeiros (MA) 

    Kasey Ott (MA) 

    Greer Pester (UK) 

    Mimi Pinheiro (MA)

    Allison Reho (TX) 

    Maíra Senise (NY)

    Carl Simmons (MA)

    Stéphanie Williams (MA)

    Cheyenne Yu (NV)

SCULPTURE

TEXTILE

CERAMIC

DESIGN OBJECTS

OPENING NIGHT

Opening Night was a gathering of artists, locals, and faraway visitors donning their Salad Days best and wandering the gardens as night fell. Dress was encouraged as part of the experience, creating a heightened sense of connection.

  • Harp and vocals performed by Myles Goulart from within one of the greenhouses.

  • CHLOROPHILIA: Equinox Performance and Elixir by Willa Van Nostrand, held in the sweeping field with bats swooping overhead.

  • A participatory automatic drawing exercise for guests, made in collaboration with the land. The resulting works were later incorporated into the exhibition inside the greenhouses.

The evening also featured a curated grazing table.

Featured In

  • "Their attention to detail and commitment to quality truly stood out. We’ve already recommended them to others."

    —Former Customer

  • "Communication was top-notch and the final outcome was even better than we imagined. A great experience all around."

    —Former Customer

  • "Every detail was thoughtfully executed. We're thrilled with the outcome."

    —Former Customer

Support

  • Massachusetts Cultural Council

  • New Bedford Cultural Council

  • The Trustees Of Reservations

  • BLICK Art Materials