What an extraordinary day! The presentation and exhibition of The White Mulberry Project: A Silk Road Runs Through It took place in my backyard “mulberry grove” last Saturday.
It was supposed to rain but the sun came out (only over Whitehall, apparently) just in time for my presentation and we had the perfect weather for the event!
The mulberry trees were resplendent, showing off their foliage.
Barb Flayter and Ray Wheeler brought two nice tents where Pamela Landi welcomed all arrivals. We had a wonderfully eclectic crowd: some from the neighborhood and throughout Whitehall, others from the region and Vermont. A couple of friends even came up from Massachusetts! Numerous friends remarked afterwards how much they enjoyed the people who came as much as the presentation.
I was thrilled and honored by the presence of Linda Franke, the Coordinator for the Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship, who spoke about the Fellowship grant at the beginning of my presentation and invited New York artists to consider applying to next year’s Fellowship.
Then I shared my stories…about the mulberry discovery and their link to the silk industry, particularly the Champlain Silk Mills in Whitehall, and the little Bombyx mori silk moth – weaver of dreams and fortunes.
I had wanted to install the artwork outside in the mulberry grove, but with the pending rain, I opted to exhibit them inside my studio instead. It was a great opportunity for people to see how all the materials I foraged from the mulberry trees were incorporated into each piece.
I received so many good wishes and support (and bottles of champagne!) at the event, and fellow gourd artist Paul Schneider surprised me with one of the gourds he grew and some of his gourd seeds. I was thrilled to see Whitehall Times reporter EJ Conzola at the event, taking notes for a newspaper article. It all brought tears to my eyes.
We all celebrated with a taste of an iced White Mulberry tea custom-blended specifically for this event by Teas for Wildlife, an amazing tea company in India that is also a conservation organization. Huge thanks to Amit Kackrot for the excellent blend and customized packaging with the Bombyx mori silk moth.
And I managed to locate some dried white mulberries for snacks for a full-on Mulberry Experience!
I led a short tour around the rest of the Eco-Garden and just as I was finishing, the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down!
It stopped briefly and we enjoyed a moment of sun….and were treated to a double rainbow!
The perfect end to a perfect event.
Will & Allison Beyer of W Beyer Creative filmed the entire presentation, so for those of you who missed it, there will be a video forthcoming.
Also, one of the sculptures will be exhibited at the Whitehall Free Library through November 1, 2023.
The past 5 months have been quite an experience. I am grateful for eveyone who came forward to help with this project to weed gardens, mow lawns, assist with research, paint/clean the house, share mulberries and tree sightings, provide a fire circle, loan art pedestals, offer native plants for the gardens, help with planning and day-of activites and share and comment on my social media posts. As they say, “It takes a village” I couldn’t have done it without you!
Click below for all Mulberry stories:
Click below for information on The Mulberry Project: A Silk Road Runs Through It:
In 2023, Serena Kovalosky was awarded a New York State Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship for the White Mulberry Project, administered by the Arts Council for Wyoming County in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. Funding for this project is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Governor’s office and the New York State Legislature.
Leave a Reply