"Edward Steichen And The Garden"
at
The George Eastman House
thru September 6, 2026
Up from Brooklyn, New York, my brother, Paul Singer, stopped in for a summer visit, and we went out on a sunny day to The George Eastman House, and then later to The Memorial Art Gallery. Paul is a graphic designer and artist, so we like to go and see what is on view in the museums. I grew up in a family of artists and we are always curious about visual culture, and this week in Rochester, there are many reasons to go out and see the exhibitions.
In my early years working in the arts, I was very involved as a botanical artist, so naturally I wanted to see the show now at The George Eastman House featuring "Edward Steichen And The Garden". Paul and I were both surprised to see paintings made by the American photographer, Edward Steichen, and we were really in awe of the work he did as a gardener who went way beyond the norm and developed award winning varieties of Delphiniums - beautiful tall flowers that were once presented at The Museum of Modern Art! ( See photo above ).
Edward Steichen's wall size mural paintings
Steichen made important photos and he was recognized for his work as a photographer but we did not know that it was his work as a photographer that supported his love of the garden. Edward Steichen was an American, but he also spent a lot of time in Europe, cultivating friendships with artists like Auguste Rodin who he photographed, and the sculptor Brancusi. Now, in this show at The George Eastman House, you get to see many photos made by Steichen, and also paintings by him including the ones above - mural size pieces made early in his career.
Photo by Edward Steichen "Sun Flower"
To say that this show was a revelation would be a real understatement. We never knew this side of this photographer's life, and we are grateful to the curators who gathered these works together for this exhibition, Thank You!
"Edward Steichen And The Garden"
at The George Eastman House
Print by Kumi Korf at The Memorial Art Gallery
Kumi Korf and I both attended Cornell University to complete graduate studies there, and I have always admired her work. Paul and I walked into the sculpture show of John Rhoden called "Determined To Be".
Paul Singer at the entrance of "Determined To Be"
This is my second visit to John Rhoden's sculpture show and I am glad that I had the time to share this experience with my brother. There are so many pieces in this show that I had the time to look at sculpture that I missed the first time. I am glad that The Memorial Art Gallery brought all of this artwork for this audience! Also, I enjoyed to once again see the videos of the Garth Fagan dancers in juxtaposition with the sculptures.
John Rhoden's Sculpture with video of Garth Fagan Dancers
John Rhoden's sculpture of a head in the 1940s
at
The Memorial Art Gallery thru to August 23, 2026
