In the Leonhardt Galleries, 2025

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 2025 art exhibitions will spotlight acclaimed regional and national artists united by a shared purpose: to foster community engagement by illuminating the interplay of art and the natural world. Some will captivate through sheer beauty and wonder, while others will prompt fundamental discussions on sustainability and the impact of human activities on the natural world. 

Here are the plans (so far):

‘Dreamscapes: Journeys into Nature’

February 7 through Feb. 23

In this juried show featuring artwork by the Guild of Berkshire Artists, nature serves as the muse. That includes Berkshire Botanical Garden itself, which hosts the Guild’s plein air group. The Guild’s work covers a wide range of visual media, including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, textiles, wood, glass, and mixed media. The Guild was formed in 2014 to support and promote its members through education, exhibits and community events while contributing to the cultural life of the Berkshires.

Opening reception is Friday, Feb. 7, 5 to 7 p.m.

‘Seeds of Connection: An Exhibit by CATA Artists with Disabilities’

February 28 through March 23

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) presents an exhibit of paintings and drawings by artists with disabilities. Each work was created through CATA’s year-round workshops serving children, teens and adults. Some of the works were created on​-​site​ at Berkshire Botanical Garden​ as part of a​n ongoing​ partnership between CATA and BBG, while others were created by CATA artists ​at day programs and residences serving people with disabilities, as well as in CATA’s studios in Great Barrington. The exhibit includes botanical studies, landscapes, abstract paintings, and photographs each ranging widely in stylistic expression and scale of size. 

Opening reception is Friday, Feb. 28, 3 to 5 p.m.

‘Artscheming, Daydreaming’

March 28 through April 20

The grounds and offices of BBG are filled with staff members and volunteers during the busy season and in the quieter times, too. Our members and visitors will have an opportunity to see our creative side, too, with this second annual exhibition. Featuring botanical bas relief, ceramics, concrete leaf sculptures, acrylic, oil and watercolor paintings, photography, and fine needlework, the exhibition will highlight work from staff and volunteers.

Opening reception is Friday, March 28, 5 to 7 p.m. with a special appearance by the Vassar College Night Owls! (a cappella group)

‘Lucid Illusions, Richard James’

April 25 through June 1

Lucid Illusions is “the space between reality and dreams,” says fine-art photographer Richard James about his upcoming exhibition at the Leonhardt Galleries. For the better part of 15 years, James has traveled the United States and Europe in search of perfect, real-world florals and landscapes to playfully, almost romantically, blend with his unique imagination and creativity. “Lucid Illusions is where reality softens and dreams take shape,” says internationally acclaimed fine-art photographer Richard James. “For me, this collection is about inviting viewers to linger in that delicate space between what is and what might be. Each image begins in the real world — an untouched landscape, a perfect bloom—but then imagination takes over, weaving the familiar into something quietly surreal. I want people to feel a sense of wonder, of possibility, as if they’ve stumbled into a memory they can’t quite place, but don’t want to leave.”

“What drew us to Richard James’s work is the way he blurs the line between the seen and the imagined,” says Berkshire Botanical Garden Executive Director Mike Beck. “There’s an intimacy to his photographs that makes you pause and look closer — what appears simple at first glance reveals layers of meaning and emotion. ‘Lucid Illusions’ captures that elusive space where reality becomes something more lyrical, more personal. We’re honored to host this exhibition and offer our visitors the chance to experience Richard’s extraordinary vision firsthand.”

Opening reception is Friday, April 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.

'DayDream'

June 6 through Aug. 11

Curated by James Salomon.

This summer, Berkshire Botanical Garden will transform into a haven for artistic reverie with "DayDream," a new exhibition featuring works by some of the most renowned names in contemporary and modern art. "DayDream" will run from June 6 through Aug. 11, and invite visitors to escape the everyday and immerse themselves in the boundless possibilities of the imagination.

The exhibition’s lineup includes legendary figures such as Salvador Dalí, Annie Leibovitz, Yoko Ono, and Jamie Wyeth, alongside a diverse array of contemporary artists like Roz Chast, Will Cotton, Ellsworth Kelly, and Kenny Scharf. Spanning painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media, DayDream promises to be a stunning and thought-provoking journey into the artistic subconscious.

Saturday, June 14, opening reception

'Sleepwalkers'

June 6 through Aug. 11

In conjuction with "DayDream," this summer, visitors to Berkshire Botanical Garden will be invited to slow down, lean back — and daydream outdoors. Nestled quietly among the trees and pathways from June 6 through Aug. 11, “Sleepwalkers,” a new outdoor exhibit by renowned sculptor Mark Mennin, will offer a place to do just that. Three monumental stone sculptures, each weighing more than 6,000 pounds, will rest in the landscape like ancient relics crossed with soft clouds. Mennin, a master of monumental stone carving, has shaped these massive blocks into forms that suggest cushions or beds — tactile, inviting and unmistakably human in scale and presence.

'Works by Frances Palmer: Terracotta and Floral Photography'

August 15 through Oct. 5

This summer, step into the world of Frances Palmer — potter, gardener and photographer — through an immersive new exhibition at Berkshire Botanical Garden. Frances Palmer will bring together three intimately connected aspects of her artistic life, showcasing her signature terracotta ceramics, platinum palladium photographs of garden flowers and luminous color photographs of floral arrangements. A self-taught potter for nearly four decades, Palmer has long explored the relationship between earth and bloom. She began growing flowers in her Connecticut garden specifically to arrange in her handmade vessels and photograph in her studio. “The pottery and the flowers are the two halves of my earthly paradise,” Palmer says. “I honestly can’t imagine one without the other.”

Visitors will encounter Palmer’s warm, expressive terracotta pots — some of which will be thoughtfully composed using blossoms grown at BBG. Her photographs, known for their dreamy, meditative quality, reveal a deep reverence for the ephemeral beauty of flowers and the everyday magic of the natural world. Palmer’s work has been featured in The New York Times Style Magazine, Vogue, House & Garden, and Veranda, and is held in collections around the world. She is the author of Life in the Studio, and her newest book, Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons from the Garden (Artisan Books), offers a deeper look into her creative process and garden philosophy. “I love the scale of Berkshire Botanical Garden and the beautiful setting,” she says. “The exhibition will, in a way, serve as a conversation or dialogue with the Garden’s living landscape.”