ELEVATED, An Orchid Exhibition
February 7 – March 22, 2026

Thank you to all who visited us during Elevated, An Orchid Exhibition as we celebrated the beauty and wonder of orchids in combination with captivating aerial sculptures by artist Cicely Carew. Featuring a stunning display of over 2,000 orchids, Elevated transformed 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. This exhibit concluded on March 22, 2026.

ARCHIVED DETAILS ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

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. 

ARCHIVED SPECIAL EVENTS

Rows of colorful orchids in the greenhouse

ORCHID SALE
Friday, April 3 | This event has passed.

After Elevated concludes, a wide array of orchids from the exhibition will be for sale on Friday, April 3, 10 AM–2 PM, or until supplies run out!

  • The price range for varieties of orchids are $10-$45
  • Houseplants, including bromeliads, will range from $10-$20
  • Members: 20% off for named cardholders. Must present your card at check-in.
  • Admission to the sale is free of charge
  • Plants are available on a first-come, first-served basis
  • Early admittance is not permitted; the sale starts promptly at 10 AM
  • Attendees should dress for the weather and be prepared to wait in lines indoors and outdoors
  • Bring your own containers, boxes, or bags to carry out your plants
  • Garden staff will not be available to assist with loading plants into vehicles
  • Follow the Garden on Instagram and Facebook @NewEnglandBG for day-of sale updates!

Forms of accepted payment include cash, debit or credit card, or checks made payable to Worcester County Horticultural Society (WCHS) or New England Botanic Garden (NEBG). Gift cards will not be accepted for the orchid sale.

pink orchids with yellow lights hanging from the conservatory's ceiling in the background

Orchids After Dark (21+)
Fridays & Saturdays, February 13 through March 14 | This event has passed.

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.  

Member: $22, Non-Member: $32 

A woman stand in front of a wall of orchids with her back against the camera

ELEVATED Opening Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, February 7 – 8 | This event has passed.

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.  

EXHIBITION FAQs

There are over 2,000 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 3. 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.

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. 

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.

  • Cicely Carew's blue and yellow mesh art attached to the wall close to the ceiling of the conservatory
  • Two visitors in the Limonaia conservatory observing the orchids exhibit
  • A visitor taking a smartphone photo of an orchid
  • Pink orchids in focus with visitors in the background observing orchids in the conservatory
  • A visitor pose in front of a wall of orchids and plants while a photographer holds a camera up to their face

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!