No matter how connected to the natural environment you are in NYC, an epic event called Understory will bring you even closer. Held April 28-29 at Bushwick venue 99 Scott, the two-day event will feature a plant sale, workshops and a marketplace that will appeal to plant lovers, urban farmers, ecologists, and botanists alike.
At the heart of the weekend will be the biggest edition yet of the annual Saipua plant sale, featuring a wide selection of unique and rare plants from some of the best regional nursery growers. Other plant vendors selling outdoor perennials, native plants, herbs and cacti include Tula House, GRDN, Lower East Side Girls Club, Vert/Troy Nurseries, Rooted NYC and Greenery NYC.
Attendees can also browse the Makers’ Bazaar, featuring producers such as ceramicists, textile artists, basket weavers, woodworkers, the outdoor Soil + Compost Shop and a Citizen’s Science Fair highlighting work and projects that engage New Yorkers with their urban environment.
A wide variety of hands-on workshops will be presented throughout both days of the event in multiple spaces, from floral design workshops to cooking classes to art and science classes for kids of all ages. Outdoor workshops, on and off-site tours round out the explorations into the natural environs.
Food and drink will be available for purchase inside and out, including a natural wine bar hosted by event partner 99 Scott and Arley Marks Drinks and an outdoor kitchen from Joint Venture, who will be serving a menu of foraged produce and seafood.
Understory Founder and Director Cerise Mayo has created spaces and overseen events for Alice Waters, Slow Food, New Amsterdam Market and Frieze Art Fair. “The goal of this event,” she says, “is to connect New Yorkers from amateur and experienced plant enthusiasts to artists and designers to families and local residents to writers and academics and for anyone who attends to leave with a broader understanding of the incredibly diverse opportunities to connect with the natural world in New York.”
Tickets are now on sale at understory.co/tickets, starting at $15 for one day and $25 for a two-day pass. Enrollment in one of the 21 workshops and tours includes admission.
