Seed Exchange

In conjunction with the exhibition Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual and Resilience, held at Miller Hall, artist Karen Azarnia will host a seed exchange and drawing workshop at Yale’s Marsh Botanical Garden. This initiative is part of the ongoing Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.

Each summer and fall, the artist collects flowers and herbs from her garden and is generously gifted additional varieties from family and neighbors. Drying and preserving the original form of the flowers and seed pods, participants will join in harvesting the seeds themselves on site while learning more about each variety. Guests are encouraged (though not required) to bring seeds of their own to exchange with others.

The gesture of manually harvesting seeds from dried flowers and pods – slowly, and with care – is a meditative act of discovery with many parallels to the creative process. A regenerative and cyclical process, it is meant to connect participants directly to the landscape, and to foster community both in the present moment and the future.

Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot for this unique opportunity to engage with art and the environment in a meaningful way. The seed exchange will take place inside the greenhouse.

Host or Publisher Yale Institute of Sacred Music