Berkshire Botanical Garden Presents 'Works by Frances Palmer: Terracotta and Floral Photography' Aug. 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 that runs in the Leonhardt Galleries from Aug. 15 through Oct. 5. The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, Aug. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m.

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.”

Established in 1934 as the “Berkshire Garden Center” and revered as one of the older public display gardens in the Northeast, Berkshire Botanical Garden is a not-for-profit, membership-supported educational organization encompassing 24 acres of land at the intersection of Routes 102 and 183 in Stockbridge, Mass It’s mission is to “provide information, education and inspiration concerning the science, art and joy of gardening and its role in preserving the environment.”