Jeff Leatham is a star in the world of floral design. The artistic director of the Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center and the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, he creates spectacular floral installations that stop people in their tracks. This, despite the fact, as Leatham told California Meetings + Events for our recent story on trends in event design, “My mantra is clean, simple and chic.”
Now, through May 1st, you can see some of Leatham’s most inventive work as the New York Botanical Garden’s popular orchid exhibition returns for its 19th year with The Orchid Show: Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope. Leatham had designed the 2020 Orchid Show, which was cut short by the pandemic. For this year’s show, he has reinvented his mesmerizing creations, transforming each gallery of the exhibition in NYBG’s historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a news release says, “into a different color experience, like the turn of a kaleidoscope.”
“Orchid towers of orange, yellow, and green, undulating fields of white, and overhead plumes of purple, together with artistic embellishments and a kaleidoscopic tunnel of lights, will captivate and enthrall visitors,” the news release continues. Leatham worked with horticulturists from NYBG, including Senior Curator of Orchids Marc Hachadourian, to assemble orchids from its collections as well as from some of the finest growers in the world, bringing together orchids of every imaginable shape and provenanced, including some rare and iconic blooms.
“I am thrilled to bring Kaleidoscope back to The New York Botanical Garden in 2022—much like when you look into a kaleidoscope, the view is never the same,” Leatham said. “My reinvention of Kaleidoscope will be totally different installations than two years ago. Every turn will display a new vision, while maintaining the thematic element of every gallery focusing on a different color experience. With this design, visitors will appreciate the beauty of orchids and see NYBG’s Conservatory in exciting new ways.”
On select Fridays and Saturdays in March and April, adults 21 and over can experience the exhibition at night with music, cash bars, and food available for purchase. Orchid Evenings will take place on March 26, April 2, 9, 16, 22, and 23, 2022; 7–10 p.m.
At NYBG Shop, Orchid Show visitors will be able to select from thousands of orchids, from hard-to-find specimens for connoisseurs to elegant t easy-to-grow varieties for beginners.
For more information visit nybg.org/event/the-orchid-show/