First Fridays: Plants, People, and Place

First Fridays: Plants, People, and Place
Through The Planting Fields Stand
Friday, Apr. 3
10 – 11:30am
$25 per person
All tickets final sale.
Beginning at the Welcome Pavilion, check in begins 15 minutes prior. 
Includes collage workshop.

Step into a multi-sensory exploration of the fruits that nourish us and the stories they carry.

Led by Collections and Exhibitions Manager Emily Leger, this guided tour will depart from the Welcome Pavilion and bring guests to The Planting Fields Stand, 2025 Catalyst artist Sam Van Aken’s grove of four multi-grafted fruit trees. From there, the tour passes through the Main Greenhouse and continues toward the Main House, where additional artworks by Van Aken are on view.

Along the way, visitors will learn about Van Aken’s artistic practice and his commitment to preserving rare and heirloom fruit varieties. The tour also explores how food is more than sustenance—it carries memory, tradition, and identity, connecting us to the farmers, landscapes, and communities that have shaped what we eat.

Following the tour, guests will have the opportunity to create their own collages using botanical prints and nature imagery, inspired by Van Aken’s grafting practice and related works such as his Tree Tag Grafts. Blending horticulture, history, and contemporary art, this tour invites guests to consider the deeper cultural roots of the fruits we grow and share.

More about First Fridays
This monthly series dives into the various themes that make up Planting Fields, with exclusive behind-the-scenes walking tours and workshops led by Planting Fields Foundation and New York State Parks staff, who are experts in their respective fields. From wellness and Olmsted landscape features to the life-stories of Coe family members and their unchallenged spectacular horticultural, historic and personal collections, participants of this series will see this site with a new lens. Each month a new theme is explored with at least one staff expert serving as your guide. This series will take place on the first Friday of each month.

For any additional information and questions, please contact Kayla Cheshire, Communications and Marketing Manager at kcheshire@plantingfields.org

All ticket sales final. Outside tours will continue in the case of light rain. Should weather become inclement, tour participants will be notified and the tour will be rescheduled. 

48 Hour Cancellation Policy: Should you need to cancel; you will be credited the amount towards a future 2026 First Friday event. 

By registering for this event, you consent to Planting Fields Foundation photographing and filming during the event. These images may be used for promotional purposes, including social media, on our website, newsletters, grant requests, reports. As it may not be feasible to identify individuals who may wish to opt out, your registration implies your consent to be photographed. By registering for this event, you are also you are agreeing to receive pre-registration emails, e-newsletters, and other communications from Planting Fields Foundation. If you have any concerns, please contact Kayla at kcheshire@plantingfields.org