The Lower East Side Ecology Center and Make Meadows present “In the Weeds,” a two-month exhibition that reimagines a community garden as a living gallery where art and ecology come together. The exhibition celebrates the diversity of urban nature and invites New Yorkers to take a closer look at native plants and the so-called “weeds” that help support a healthy, thriving garden. Often overlooked or removed, these plants play an important role in feeding pollinators, improving soil, and creating habitat for urban wildlife.
Set within a community garden, artists are invited to respond to the site as both setting and collaborator. Proposals should consider native plant life, seasonal change, and the relationships between plants, people, and place. Projects may evolve over time through weathering, growth, decay, or interaction (embracing the changing nature of the garden) or be designed to withstand outdoor conditions over the course of the exhibition.
We are particularly interested in artists whose work:
- Engages with the environment materially or conceptually
- Reflects or responds to ecological processes
- Incorporates change over time
- Invites audience interaction or quiet contemplation
Exhibition Space: Clyde Romero Community Garden 213 East 7th Street New York, 10009
The garden will be open to the public on a weekly basis, offering free and informal access to the work.
Work Media: All mediums are welcome as long as they are able to endure outdoor conditions: sculpture, painting, photography, drawing, poetry, data visualization, science-driven art, mixed media, etc. Artists are encouraged to take a broad and creative approach to the theme.
Timeline:
- Deadline to submit: June 5 2026
- Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by June 15, 2026
- Artists need to drop-off ready to install work during the week of Aug 10-14, 2026
- Opening reception will be held on August 15, 2026
- Exhibition will be open to the public Aug 15 – Oct 15, 2026
- Artists will need to pick up their work by October 22, 2026
Additional Information:
- Selected artists will receive an honorarium of up to $1,750 based on project scope and number of artists selected for the exhibition.
- All work must be ready for installation. For larger pieces, we may ask the artist to assist with installation.
- All work must be hand delivered during installation dates/times, we are not able to accept shipped artwork.
- Artwork will be selected by a committee of environmental stewards and artists who will be looking for creativity, interpretation of the theme, quality of art, and overall design.
We are grateful for the support of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s grant support for this initiative.