Gardening is a passion for many Australians. It gives pleasure, sustenance and dignity to daily lives. It cuts across cultural, social and national boundaries like few other activities.
Gardening is a passion for many Australians. It gives pleasure, sustenance and dignity to daily lives. It cuts across cultural, social and national boundaries like few other activities.
(Richard Aitken, Guest Curator)
Curated by garden historian Richard Aitken, Planting Dreams: Shaping Australian Gardens explores the ideas and influences that have shaped the way we make, use and enjoy our gardens. After searching through the State Library’s collections, he has selected more than 150 rare, beautiful and at times unlikely objects - spanning over five centuries - to illustrate the rich and inspiring story of garden-making.
The exhibition also features a newly commissioned interactive work by artists Lisa Cooper and Benja Harney. Responding to exhibition themes and Library collections, they have created a monumental installation which visitors can contribute to during the exhibition.
About this item:
Facsim. of the 1682 ed. printed by W. Rawlins for the author.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Transferred from NQ582.04/1
The anatomy of plants: with an idea of a philosophical history of plants{"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/anatomy-plants-idea-philosophical-history-plants","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg?itok=4EFXFSDK","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg?itok=jD5zYlfI","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg?itok=4EFXFSDK","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg?itok=jD5zYlfI","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/public\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg?itok=6jE2UJew","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/public\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg?itok=pJujOisG","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/public\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg?itok=_R5hPxan"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/33_grewn_c05352_0002.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":1233,"height":1983}
Collection Day depicts Organs Road in Bulli, New South Wales, about halfway up the steep street looking east, down the hill towards the ocean on a Wednesday morning after the rubbish has been collected. The yellow bins indicate it was a day for recycling collection and the red bins normal household garbage. The bins, with lids flung open, capture the everyday aspect of suburban recycling practice. This loose and lively suburban street scene celebrates the commonplace.
It was painted in late 2010 and then reworked in early 2011. It is painted in oils on marine grade plywood over the top of a painting from 2007 of a factory building in Marrickville, with the title ‘Ming On Trading’ (the name of the building). The first painting was scraped flat with a razor blade and the painting of Organs Road was done over the top.
Landscape and still-life artist John Bokor grew up in Sydney, living and painting in Marrickville from 2002 until 2007. He now lives in Bulli, New South Wales. Bokor has won several art prizes including the NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize and Eutick Memorial Still Life Award.
Adam and Eve (in Brazil), in Theodor de Bry et al (eds), Historia Americae sive Novi Orbis, continens in XIII distinctis partibus: verissimam{"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/adam-and-eve-brazil-theodor-de-bry-et-al-eds-historia-americae-sive-novi-orbis","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg?itok=UKTH2JOA","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg?itok=ZvZmUjLU","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg?itok=UKTH2JOA","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg?itok=ZvZmUjLU","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/public\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg?itok=ywCpYmfJ","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/public\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg?itok=5UYjCXlr","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/public\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg?itok=Gj_TFkL6"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/01_historiaamericae_1_c05324.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":1480,"height":1862}
Join the army on the food front [picture] : grow your own vegetables.{"type":"image","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/collection-items\/join-army-food-front-picture-grow-your-own-vegetables","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg?itok=Zk0nLUcM","thumbnailLarge":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg?itok=1ykljDfn","mediaDerivativeUrls":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumbnail\/public\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg?itok=Zk0nLUcM","large":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/large\/public\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg?itok=1ykljDfn","responsive__quarter_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__quarter_hd\/public\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg?itok=vl4GgHke","responsive__half_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__half_hd\/public\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg?itok=vndWxla5","responsive__full_hd":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/responsive__full_hd\/public\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg?itok=vm1kJjhq"},"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/www.sl.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/92_mitchellposter1121_foodfront1943.jpg","mediaMime":"image\/jpeg","transcriptUrl":null,"width":1085,"height":1631}
Environmental artist Lynne Adams helps celebrate Planting Dreams
Visit the beautiful sculptural work of environmental artist Lynne Adamson display in the Macquarie foyer for the duration of Planting Dreams.
Lynne is known for her imaginative and beautiful artworks made from recycled materials, particularly plastic drink bottles. She is passionate about our need as a society to reduce, re-use and recycle our waste.
Meet the curators
Richard Aitken
Richard Aitken is recognised nationally and internationally for his expertise in the field of garden history. He has been long a long-time editor of Australian Garden History, the quarterly journal of the Australian Garden Historical Society, and his books include The Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens (2002), Gardenesque (2004), Botanical Riches (2006, Seeds of Change (2006), The Garden of Ideas (2010), and Cultivating Modernism (2013). Richard has undertaken numerous conservation plans for significant historic gardens throughout Australia. He has curated several major exhibitions for Australia's leading collecting institutions.
Sarah Morley
Sarah is a curator working in the Library’s Research and Discovery Branch. She works closely with our Manuscript and Rare Book collections drawing on her experience in collection acquisition, arrangement and description. In 2015 Sarah curated the Australian Inspiration exhibition, a companion to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Inspiration by Design, and is the liaison curator for Planting Dreams. Sarah also provides support and content for programs, events and the Library's social media channels. Sarah has a passion for libraries, the history of the book, and interpretations of Australia from the earliest records to the present day.
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