‘Pigments!’ enters final days at Garfield Park Conservatory

Garfield Park Conservatory’s annual Artist’s Garden exhibit, “Pigments!,” is entering its final days, with the outdoor display set to close Sept. 13. The exhibit highlights plants that have historically been used to create natural dyes and pigments for textiles, paints, inks and cosmetics. 

Lena Dimitroff is a Class 1 floriculturist with the Chicago Park District who works at Garfield Park Conservatory. She helped design and grow this year’s Artist’s Garden, Pigments!  

“This is kind of the sweet spot to visit. It’s right when everything is quite mature, everything is in full bloom and almost passing over to the drying and seeding stage. So, it’s a really fun time to visit. This garden features plants that people have used for hundreds of years to create colors for clothing, paint, ink and cosmetics,” Dimitroff said. 

The idea brought together the Alliance staff’s artistic experience with plants and dyes and Dimitroff’s work as a designer and grower. Together, they created a garden that highlights these various colors and textures while showcasing the artistic possibilities of plants. 

“You can look at these wonderful flowers up close, but there’s also signage throughout the garden that shares the story of how these plants have been used throughout history and how people can use them today. So, it’s really cool to get an up-close view of these plants,” Dimitroff said. 

The garden features familiar pigment-producing plants, such as indigo, which creates the rich blue dye used for blue jeans, and henna, which was also featured in an artist-led dyeing event. It also showcases a variety of lesser-known flowers that can be used to create natural pigments. 

“I think every space has its own unique feel, so this one is more of something that people could use as inspiration for their gardens at home,” Dimitroff said.  

The outdoor Artist’s Garden also complements the conservatory’s Sensory Garden and the indoor spaces, which showcase a variety of environments, including tropical, subtropical, desert, arid and fern habitats. 

“So you really get to experience the whole space, almost like a mini free vacation or an affordable vacation for those around Chicago,” Dimitroff said. 

When asked about the community’s response to Pigments! this year and memorable reactions from visitors, she noted that the community and visitors really loved the exhibit. 

“Working in the garden every day, we selected these over 10-foot-tall sunflowers that are used to pull a black dye from the seeds. Adults, children, everyone in between — that’s like the showstopper. Then we have a lot of vibrant colors in the marigolds, so that’s just the immediate reaction,” Dimitroff said. 

Dimitroff hopes visitors leave with a greater appreciation for how accessible nature can be and the sense of wonder it can inspire.  

“You’ll see this in the signage as well, to give a little bit more of the history. But we’re all moving toward a more sustainable movement, so this is just another example of how you can use nature and more natural things. Natural dyes offer a more sustainable way to create color,” Dimitroff said.  

September programming at the Garfield Park Conservatory will offer activities for families, teens and adults, including gardening and beekeeping classes, as well as two evenings of live music Sept. 10 and 11. The conservatory will also open “Soul of the Stone,” a new Sensory Garden exhibit on Sept. 5 that explores the connection between ancestors, stone and the spiritual world. 

“The sensory exhibit is a great way to touch on all of the senses because you have some florals that will give off different smells, including the flower heads. There are also some other ones that give off more of an earthy or basil scent. So, again, that’s the scent, and then there are different textures that people can touch and feel throughout,” Dimitroff said. 

The Sensory Garden exhibit engages visitors through multiple senses, with wind chimes, rustling leaves, different textures and colorful pigments throughout the space. Visitors can also explore a labyrinth while taking in the exhibit’s sculptures, plants and wildlife. 

“If you’re here to see just one of the shows, you must check out the whole space and our huge outdoor garden space, which is multiple acres. So, there’s a lot to explore, and it’s very accessible to everybody,” Dimitroff said.