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For Immediate Release Media Contact: Barb DeGroot, 952-443-1459
Celebration includes Grand Opening of Highgrove Florilegium Exhibit, Talks & More!
Chanhassen, MN (June 12, 2014) - Botanic royalty, a big bow and birthday cake will mark the 40th anniversary celebration of Andersen Horticultural Library and the Snyder Building at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Three days of events - June 24-26 - will honor the occasion and a colorful birthday bow will adorn the building exterior.
Botanic Royalty Arrives!
A highlight event is the arrival on Tuesday, June 24, of the "Highgrove Florilegium Exhibit: A Celebration of Contemporary Botanical Art." The Arboretum is the first stop in the Midwest for this traveling exhibit. This is a rare and unique opportunity to see 40 prints of exquisite botanical watercolors featuring plants from the Highgrove gardens of His Royal Highness Prince Charles. The works on display represent some of the best botanical artists in the world today. The exhibit is on display June 24 - Sept. 1 in the Reedy Gallery of the Arboretum's Oswald Visitor.
The public is invited to the exhibit grand-opening on Thursday, June 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Reedy Gallery. Hosted by the University of Minnesota Libraries and Friends of Andersen Horticultural Library, the event will feature remarks by U of M librarian Wendy Pradt Lougee. Reservations required by Wednesday, June 18, at z.umn.edu/highgrove or 952-443-1405.
Related Events -Andersen Library's bound 'Florilegium' on Display
Tuesday, June 24 - In conjunction with the Reedy Gallery exhibit, there will be a public display of the Andersen Horticultural Library's rare two-volume "Highgrove Florilegium" book of botanic art. From noon to 2 p.m. on June 24 in Reedy Gallery, Kathy Allen, librarian of the Andersen Horticultural Library, will turn pages to display the 124 watercolors featured in the two volumes. For additional display times, call 952-443-1405.
Wednesday, June 25 - From 1 to 2 p.m., Allen will deliver a talk, "Mania and Delirium! Plants That Drove People Crazy," exploring plant crazes such as Tulipmania, Fern Fever and Orchidelirium, in the Snyder Building Auditorium. Also that day, visitors are invited to share memories of the Andersen Library and Snyder Building grand opening 40 years ago for an event Memory Book. Enjoy a taste of birthday cake, while supplies last.
About the Snyder Building and Andersen Horticultural Library
The Snyder Building was designed by the late Edwin Lundie in the style of a charming wood-paneled English manor house and was made possible through donations from hundreds of individuals and organizations. It is named for the first Arboretum director, Dr. Leon Snyder. For years, the Snyder Education and Research Building was the main visitor center for the Arboretum, housing a gift store, classrooms, staff offices, a conservatory, the Andersen Horticultural Library and restaurant/tea room.
In 2005, the restaurant and gift store moved to the newly constructed Oswald Visitor Center. The Snyder Building continues to house staff offices, Andersen Library, conservatory and auditorium and remains a popular destination for meetings, teas and weddings.
Andersen Library grew through the support and vision of the late Gov. Elmer L. Andersen and his wife, Eleanor, who were ardent devotees of horticulture and book collecting. Today it is famous for its expansive collection of horticulture books, magazines and historic nursery catalogs. With its vast collection of nearly 20,000 books and 300 subscriptions to magazines, newsletters and scientific journals, the Andersen Library is a rich resource for everyone - from weekend gardeners to professional horticulturalists. The library collection ranges from the literature of horticulture, botany and landscape architecture to local natural history, children's books and specialized horticultural research.
The library has one of North America's largest seed and nursery catalog collections, representing over 7,500 firms, including nearly 67,000 historic seed and nursery catalogs dating back 400 years. It houses an extensive collection of rare books on horticulture, botany, botanic art and more, plus an extensive slide collection of plants. A non-lending library, the Andersen Library is part of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Also noteworthy are the library's furnishings - custom-designed tables, chairs, display cases and shelving created by influential American architect and master woodworker George Nakashima whose signature tables celebrate the natural shape of the tree trunks from which they were formed. -The End-
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