Blossoms, Business and The City of Flowers – Now on Display

The Highland Park Neighborhood Association is pleased to announce its latest exhibit, “Blossoms, Business and The City of Flowers” is now on display at Muddy Waters Coffee House at 752 S Goodman Street in Rochester.  The exhibit highlights the era when Rochester, New York earned its famous nickname as “The Flower City”.   From the mid 19^th through early 20^th centuries, Rochester was the center of the Plant Nursery and Seed industries and became known around the world when companies such as Ellwanger & Barry’s Mount Hope Nurseries shipped nursery stock to every habitable continent.   Lesser known is that the City also became an image center hosting many Lithographic and Publishing Companies which specialized in colorful and beautiful depictions of plants, flowers, trees, fruits and berries.  The panels on display here attempt to recapture some of that long ago Botanical glory during the 75 year period when Rochester was not only one of America’s fastest growing cities, but also may have been one of its “greenest”. Much of the source material for these displays is what were called “Plates for Nurserymen” created by immigrant artists. These plates were collected in vast catalogs of individual botanical colored lithographs ( i.e: chromolithographs) that Rochester printing companies kept in stock so that they could create custom bound catalogs for individual salesmen representing a plant nursery.   Other illustrations are from 19^th Seed Catalogs, Trade Cards and art created for early 20^th Century Seed Packets.  Also included are lithographs from a variety of James Vick’s publications,  many designed specifically as beautiful front pieces and keepsakes  Reproductions of many of the posters on display are available with all profit going to Highland Park Neighborhood’s cultural initiatives

As an addition, there are also a few contemporary photos inspired while researching the exhibit. Finally, this show also features 8 stunning Black & White Canvases that represent a preview of an upcoming show that will revisit the 1991 Ice Storm . These photos were taken throughout the Highland Park Neighborhood by resident Matt Carnevale.

The opening night party is Friday March 12th at 7- 9 pm. The exhibit will remain on display until  May when it will move to the Lower Reservoir Gatehouse in Highland Park from May 14th to May 23 2010.  In  June it will be installed in the City Hall Visitor Gallery for a Three Month Stay

For more Information on the exhibit, contact Michael Tomb at 473-0026 or highlandparkrochester@gmail.com