ELEVATED, An Orchid Exhibition
February 7 – March 22, 2026
Elevated: An Orchid Exhibition celebrates the beauty and wonder of orchids in combination with captivating aerial sculptures by artist Cicely Carew. Featuring a stunning display of more than 2,500 orchids, Elevated transforms the Garden’s subtropical conservatories into an immersive world of color, movement, and botanical brilliance. Inspired by the forms and rhythms of nature, Carew’s “flying paintings” soar overhead – a joyful expression of the connection between art and nature.
Experience the creative wonder of this breathtaking orchid exhibition during daytime hours or through an exciting lineup of classes and special events, including our Orchids After Dark series.
Learn about the variety of species and cultivars that make up this year’s orchid displays with our Orchid Guide. *Coming this February.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Cicely Carew (b. 1982, Los Angeles, CA) is a Boston-based artist, educator, and wellness facilitator whose work brings together color, movement, and emotion in joyful and unexpected ways. Her multimedia practice blurs the boundaries between artistic disciplines—mixing painting, collage, sculpture, printmaking, sound, and video—to create vibrant, immersive experiences that invite viewers to pause, breathe, and reconnect.
Carew works from a place of improvisation and intuition, using layers of color and texture to explore ideas of freedom, transformation, and play. Her art celebrates the unknown and reminds us that healing and discovery often come through curiosity and openness. Each piece feels alive, full of energy and possibility, offering space for viewers to find their own meaning and sense of balance.
Carew earned her MFA from Lesley University’s College of Art and Design in Cambridge, MA, and her BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA. Carew’s work has been featured at institutions across Massachusetts, including the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Fuller Craft Museum, the Fitchburg Art Museum, The Commons in Provincetown, and Simmons and Northeastern Universities. Her work is also part of several permanent collections, such as the Harvard Art Museums, the Boston Public Library, the Fitchburg Art Museum, the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, Google, and Fidelity Investments. Learn more about Cicely Carew.
My work begins with a question: What happens when we treat something with tenderness? When we give grace to rough edges, attend to what seems mundane, offer care to what was designed only to protect or contain.
I work with materials both humble and unexpected: aluminum mesh, frost cloth, plastic fencing, silk screen, spray paint, and fiber optics welding light. In my practice, these elements soften, shimmer, and transcend their utility. Mesh meant to separate, begins to breathe. What once protected, opens with possibility.
This transformation mirrors something deeply human – how resilience and fragility coexist, how what shields us can also soften when met with care and curiosity. My process becomes a meditation on healing, an act of reparenting and renewal, of learning to hold materials and ourselves with both strength and gentleness.
In Elevated, I bring this practice into relationship with orchids as both collaborators and teachers. Their quiet intelligence and capacity to adapt have always moved me. My astral botanical forms not only echo the grace of orchids in bloom, but they also cradle them. The flowers are embedded within the sculptural forms, creating an intimate exchange between the industrial and the organic. Light, air, and water pass through the pieces, allowing the orchids to breathe as an extension of the work itself.
By lifting these utilitarian materials into dialogue with living plants, I am elevating what is often overlooked, transforming what protects into something that holds beauty. As sunlight shifts through the conservatories, color and shadow move across the surfaces, animating the space in a slow, breathing rhythm. Elevated becomes a living environment where art and nature meet in reciprocity. Cold materials become vessels of light. Barriers become bridges. What was rigid learns to dance. When we approach anything—materials, plants, or ourselves—with curiosity and care, transformation becomes inevitable.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Experience Elevated during one of our exciting special events!
ELEVATED Opening Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, February 7 – 8 | 10AM–4PM
Be among the first to experience the breathtaking orchid displays and aerial works of artist Cicely Carew with Elevated: An Orchid Exhibition. Enjoy live music in our subtropical conservatories and a curated artisan vendor market. Included with general admission. Click here for more details.
Orchids After Dark (21+)
Fridays & Saturdays, February 13 through March 14 | 6–8PM
Experience the elegance of Elevated: An Orchid Exhibition after-hours. Enjoy live music, drinks, and light bites while exploring our stunning orchid displays and curated ambience. Ticket price includes one free beverage and a unique night out. Click here for more details.
Member: $22, Non-Member: $32
Family Clay Studio| Ages 7+
Saturday, February 7, 10:30 AM–12 PM | Register here
Create together as we sculpt clay flowers inspired by Elevated: An Orchid Exhibition.
Member: $22 CHILD, $22 ADULT; Non-Member: $30 CHILD, $40 ADULT
Orchid Exhibit Walk & Talk | NEBG HORTICULTURE STAFF
Wednesdays, February 11, 18, 25, 9–10 AM
Wednesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 9–10 AM
Explore our annual Orchid Exhibition, Elevated, with an exclusive behind the scenes tour and learn about the species that make up the display of 2,500 orchids.
Member: $16; Non-Member: $42
Botanical Mixology: Orchid Flower Power | PEPPER’S ARTFUL EVENTS
Saturday, February 26 & March 19, 6–8 PM | Register here
Celebrate orchids in bloom with a twist! Join Pepper’s Artful Events for an evening of botanical mixology inspired by these exotic flowers. Learn to craft floral cocktails, explore edible botanicals, and sip your way through the science of flavor.
Member: $60; Non-Member: $72
Orchid Portraits in Watercolor | LINDA SNAY
Wednesday, February 4, 1–3 PM | Register here
Wednesday, February 11, 1–3 PM | Register here
Capture the beauty of orchids in watercolor. Learn quick botanical sketching, color mixing for petals and speckles, glazing, and negative painting to create your own original orchid portrait.
Member: $99; Non-Member: $115
Elevating Orchids | SHELLEY LAWRENCE KIRKWOOD
Tuesday, February 10, 6–9 PM | Register here
Take your photography to the next level with award-winning botanical photographer Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood. Designed for SLR and macro users, this hands-on session explores lighting, composition, and color theory while photographing Elevated: An Orchid Exhibition.
Member: $70; Non-Member: $84
Basics of Orchid Care and Repotting | DARYL YERDON
Wednesday, February 11, 6–9 PM | Register here
Learn essential techniques for repotting and properly caring for orchids with guidance from Daryl Yerdon, President of the New Hampshire Orchid Society, to help your plants stay healthy and bloom longer.
Member: $55; Non-Member: $66
Shinrin-yoku Forest Bathing in the Conservatory: Amongst the Orchids | NADINE MAZZOLA
Wednesday, February 11, 6–7:30 PM | Register here
Relax indoors in the quiet of our subtropical conservatories surrounded by thousands of orchids. Refresh through mindfulness practices and sensory awareness while experiencing the beauty of nature.
Member: $40; Non-Member: $48
Elevated: Drop-In Orchid Photography Night | Self-Guided
Tuesdays, February 17, 6–7:30 PM | Register here
Tuesdays, February 24, 6–7:30 PM | Register here
Join us after hours for an exclusive photography session. Get up close and personal with the orchids and displays of our Elevated orchid exhibition and practice your craft. This is a self-guided session; please bring your own equipment.
Member: $10; Non-Member: $15
Yoga for Everyone: Amongst the Orchids | HARPER WISE
Wednesday, February 25, 6–7 PM | Register here
Join us for an all-levels flow class in our subtropical conservatory, a safe, welcoming space for movement, mindfulness, and connection among lush greenery or the Orchid Exhibition
Member: $16; Non-Member: $20
Modern Orchid Floral Design | HALEY CORMIER
Saturday, February 28, 2–4 PM | Register here
Sometimes less truly is more, especially when working with luxurious orchids. Receive step-by-step instruction as you create a sophisticated floral design featuring an assortment of eucalyptus, sedum, soft ferns, and miniature Phalaenopsis orchids.
Member: $105; Non-Member: $126
EXHIBITION FAQs
There are over 2,500 orchids displayed during the Garden’s annual Orchid Exhibition. Visitors can view the orchids and displays in the Garden’s two sub-tropical conservatories, the Orangerie and the Limonaia. In addition, visitors can enjoy the Garden’s permanent collection of roughly 400 subtropical plants.
Yes! Many of the orchids on view will be for sale at the conclusion of the exhibition. Some species orchids are part of the Garden’s permanent collection and will not be available for purchase. The sale will be open to the public on Friday, April 4. Check back soon for details. In addition, the Garden Shop will have a limited number of orchids for sale during the exhibition.
The orchids that make up the displays change annually depending on availability among growers. The Orchid Guide will be available during the show and includes care tips and pictures to help identify the orchids on display by species and cultivar. The guide will be available for viewing on-site, or you can download it here (coming in February).
The orchids are ordered annually from commercial growers.
The orchid flowers are fragile—the more they are handled, the shorter their blooms will last. Please enjoy the orchids by viewing only.
The Garden’s horticulture team takes exceptional care of all 2,500 orchids! Our amazing team of volunteers assists with daily misting.
No, the beautiful artwork displayed during this exhibition is not for sale.
They are made of aluminum mesh, frost cloth, plastic fencing, silk screen, spray paint, and fiber optics lights.
They are made of aluminum mesh, frost cloth, plastic fencing, silk screen, spray paint, and fiber optics lights.
The orchids and accompanying sculptural displays are located in the Orangerie and Limonaia. Additional artwork and interpretation can be viewed in the Milton Gallery.
Elevated, An Orchid Exhibition runs from February 7 to March 22. The exhibition is included with general admission and can be viewed during regular daytime hours, 10 a.m.–5 p.m, throughout the duration of the exhibition. Orchids After Dark also offers a unique opportunity to experience the exhibition in the evening with light displays and live music. Be among the first to experience Elevated and join us on opening weekend, February 7 and 8.
The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To avoid the crowds, visit the exhibition during the week.
ORCHID FACTS
- The orchid family is one of the oldest, largest, and most diverse families of flowering plants.
- There are more than 28,000 known species of orchids.
- The first orchids developed over 100 million years ago during the time of dinosaurs!
- Orchids are found on all continents except for Antarctica.
- Orchids can grow on other plants (these orchids are called epiphytes) on or between rocks (lithophytes), or terrestrially on the ground.
- Orchids are pollinated by bees, wasps, flies, moths, butterflies, and birds.
- An estimated one-third of orchids use deceptive techniques to attract pollinators. The pollinators are seduced with false promises, yet no reward is received
- for their service in helping the orchid reproduce!
- There are over 200 orchid species in North America.
- About 45 orchids are found in Massachusetts.
- Orchids have the tiniest seeds in the world. One seedpod can contain 3 million seeds!
- The smallest orchid is about the size of a dime.
- The largest orchid weighs several hundred pounds.
- Some orchids are known to live up to 100 years.
- Did you know that vanilla comes from an orchid? The vanilla orchid is commercially grown and harvested for its seed pod, the vanilla bean.
- Orchid flowers are symmetrical; If you draw a line down the center of an orchid flower, the two sides are mirrors of each other.
Read our blog to learn more fascinating facts about orchids!
Images of Past Orchid Exhibits
