Winter Flower Show: Celebrating Silver
2024-01-07 10:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
This year’s Winter Flower Show ‘Celebrating Silver puts the spotlight on Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance’s 25th anniversary. Formed by Garfield Park community members in 1998, the Alliance is a non-profit organization that connects people to nature through a broad range of public programming, school partnerships, fundraising initiatives, and more! Learn about the rich 25 years of history while enjoying beautiful silver foliage, lush poinsettias in pink and white hues, and more of our favorite winter flowers and plants.
The Winter flower show is open November 24- January 7. Entry is included with your reservation.

Virtual Beginning Beekeeping Two-Part Class (January)
2024-01-08 18:00 - 20:30, 2024-01-15 18:00 - 20:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register
Spend 2 days virtually connecting with our Head Beekeeper, Marcin Matelski, to learn the basics of beekeeping: equipment, hive design and construction, bee biology and behavior, bee management, and bee products. This lecture based class has been adapted for a virtual experience and is limited in capacity to encourage questions and group interaction. This comprehensive class is a prerequisite for joining the GPCA volunteer beekeeper program. Pre-registration is required.
*This class takes place over the course of 2 days*
Class 1- Monday, January 8th 6:00pm-8:30pm
Class 2- Monday, January 15th 6:00pm-8:30pm
Cost: $50 general admission / $40 GPCA members & volunteers
Scholarships are available! Please fill out this Scholarship Application or contact Bendi Qian at bqian@garfieldpark.org for more information. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Monday, December 18th at 5:00pm CST.
Accommodations: When you register for this workshop you will be asked to provide any accommodations requests. If you have any questions or would like to request an additional accommodation, please contact access@garfieldpark.org, at least 72 hours prior to the event start.
Please read our updated Covid-19 protocols (link opens in a new tab).
Registration ends January 8th at 5pm CST.
For all fee-based programs and tours, we are able to provide full refunds up to two weeks prior to the program date. Within two weeks, we can offer a credit for a future class, or a refund in the event that we have a waitlist for the program and we can fill your spot.

Virtual Yoga with Natalie
2024-01-13 09:00 - 10:00, 2024-02-10 09:00 - 10:00 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register

Join us for a virtual yoga session with Natalie from the comfort of your home!
Join Natalie for this one-hour session from the comforts of your own home with the Conservatory as the background. Beginners to advanced yogis are welcome to join. Pre-registration is required so we can send you a link to join, and space is limited.

Registration closes at 9:00am when the session begins.
Auto-generated closed captioning available.
This class is free, but we welcome donations to help offset programming costs.

Origami Open House [cancelled]
2024-01-13 12:00 - 15:00 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
***Update 01/12/24, per CHAOS Origami***
Hello everyone,

Due to the winter storm coming this weekend, we have decided to cancel the Origami Open House this Saturday. The Garfield Park Conservatory will resume operations as normal.

We will see everybody again in February.

Thank you,
—

CHAOS Origami Group

Origami is a fascinating, fun-filled creative activity for children as well as adults. With a minimum of folds and creases, you can transform a flat sheet of paper into a three-dimensional form like a swan, a boat, a flower or even a hat. So, if you’re interested in creating animals, dinosaurs, flowers, decorative boxes and various other models, please join us. Every second Saturday of the month, the Chicago Area Origami Society presents a free drop-in Origami Open House to our visitors. Please drop by — both kids and adults are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Experienced folders welcome as well.
There is no fee and no reservations are needed to attend the open house. If you plan to visit the indoor gardens before or after, please book a reservation here (link opens in a new tab).
Learn more about Chaos Origami HERE (link opens in a new tab).

Yoga with Natalie (In-Person Only)
2024-01-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register

Join instructor Natalie for a special in-person yoga session at Garfield Park Conservatory on Wednesday, January 17th at 6pm!
This class will take place in Horticulture Hall in front of the Fountain.
Tickets for this class are $5 per person. Registration closes at 9:00am on Wednesday, January 17th.
This is offering is separate from our bi-weekly virtual classes and will not be available for virtual participation.

Virtual Yoga with DuShaun
2024-01-27 09:00 - 10:00 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register
Join us for a virtual yoga session with DuShaun from the comfort of your home!
Join instructor DuShaun in this hour-long yoga session from the comfort of your own home with the views of the Conservatory! This gentle yoga class is a great way to start your weekend. The class is open and accessible for all bodies and abilities—anyone, from beginners to advances yogis are welcome to join! Pre-registration is required so we can send you a link to join. Space is limited.
About DuShaun:
DuShaun Branch Pollard has been practicing yoga for almost 13 years and fell in love with yoga because it allowed her to find peace of mind while moving her body.
As a yoga student, DuShaun noticed that in the majority of her classes she was the only black and plus sized person in the room. This inspired her to become a practitioner to bring yoga to more people who looked like her. “DuShaun is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) through the Yoga Alliance and was certified through Bloom Yoga Studio in June of 2020.In addition, she received her 95-hour Children’s Yoga Certification from Mission Propelle in the summer of 2018. DuShaun previously worked in higher education, is a trained restorative justice circle keeper and is currently a community organizer in North Lawndale, a community on the west side of Chicago.
Registration closes at 9:00am when the session begins.
Auto-generated closed captioning will be available.
This class is free, but we welcome donations to help offset programming costs.

Cancelled - Plan a Small-Space Veggie Garden
2024-01-27 10:30 - 12:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we need to cancel the class on 1/27/2024. We are working to see if an alternate date will be possible.

Join us for an in-person, interactive workshop for beginning gardeners to learn how to plan a vegetable garden for small spaces.
GPCA staff will guide participants step by step in designing one 4 ft by 8 ft raised bed, while reviewing key elements for planning a veggie garden that includes herbs and flowers to support pollinators. Topics include:

Assessing Site Growing Conditions
Setting Gardeners’ Goals
Determining Plants’ Needs
Tips for Creative Flourishes

After the group design activity, participants will have time to work independently on plans for raised beds or containers for their own gardens.
Registration fee includes a materials kit that contains a book, handouts, graph paper and colored pencils.
Class available for ages 18+
Cost
$40 General Public
$32 Member/Volunteer
Scholarships are available! Please fill out this Scholarship Application (link opens in a new tab) or contact Bendi Qian at bqian@garfieldpark.org for more information. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Friday, January 12th at 5 pm CST.
Accommodations: When you register for this workshop you will be asked to provide any accommodations requests. If you have any questions or would like to request an additional accommodation, please email access@garfieldpark.org, at least 72 hours prior to the event start.
Please read our updated Covid-19 protocols (link opens in a new tab).
Registration ends Wednesday, January 24th at 5 pm CST.
Workshop materials and scholarships provided with support from Amazon.

U of I Extension Ask a Master Gardener
2024-02-03 10:30 - 13:00, 2024-02-10 10:30 - 13:00, 2024-02-17 10:30 - 13:00 | IL
On select Saturdays, the University of Illinois Ask a Master Gardener table is located at the Conservatory to answer your questions about plants. Whether it’s a question about taking care of plants, getting rid of pests or identifying something growing in your yard, the U of I Master Gardeners will be happy to answer your questions.
This free drop-in time is also a great way to get information packets/flyers about seasonal issues that may impact your growing space. They are located in Horticulture Hall and to access the table, you will need to book a reservation to the Conservatory. Learn more here (link opens in a new tab).
If you are unable to attend in person and would like to ask a question, fill out their online questionnaire form here: bit.ly/askcookmastergardener (link opens to a new tab).

Movement and Music with Moya Cultural Arts
2024-02-04 12:00 - 14:00 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Join us in Horticulture Hall for an afternoon of family fun and community building with Moya Cultural Arts! Moya educates and entertains through electrifying traditional West African drum, dance, song, storytelling and astounding audience participation! During this high energy workshop, learn and see some core African dance movements from Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, and more!
This program is included in all reservations to visit the Conservatory, book your reservation ahead of time here: here (link opens in a new tab)

Accommodations: If you’d like to request accommodations, please submit requests when you submit your reservation. On the registration form, there is also a spot to indicate if you’d like to request an accommodation. Please submit requests at least 72 hours prior to the start of the program.

Diaspora Dinners
2024-02-07 17:30 - 19:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Feb 7th register here (sold out)

During the month of February, we cordially invite families and members of the community to partake in a cooking class, hosted in our community room. This class aims to educate participants on the principles of food justice, self-sufficiency, and sustainability. Our Youth Advisory Council, a select group of members from the Urban Roots program, will lead the class and provide guidance in cooking a delectable meal.

Menu items include:
black eyed pea salad
red lentil stew
cilantro cola

Tickets: Free; donations are accepted. Space is limited; if you register and are no longer able to make it, please let us know so we can open up the ticket to someone else.
Accommodations: If you’d like to request accommodations, please email Grace Urrutia at gurrutia@garfieldpark.org. On the registration form, there is also a spot to indicate if you’d like to request an accommodation. Please submit requests at least 72 hours prior to the start of the program.
Registration closes Sunday, February 4th at 5:30pm Central Time
For more on Urban roots and their mission please visit here

Origami Open House
2024-02-10 12:00 - 15:00 | IL
Origami is a fascinating, fun-filled creative activity for children as well as adults. With a minimum of folds and creases, you can transform a flat sheet of paper into a three-dimensional form like a swan, a boat, a flower or even a hat. So, if you’re interested in creating animals, dinosaurs, flowers, decorative boxes and various other models, please join us. Every second Saturday of the month, the Chicago Area Origami Society presents a free drop-in Origami Open House to our visitors. Please drop by — both kids and adults are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Experienced folders welcome as well.

There is no fee and no reservations are needed to attend the open house. If you plan to visit the indoor gardens before or after, please book a reservation here (link opens in a new tab).
Learn more about Chaos Origami HERE (link opens in a new tab).

"A Journey of Generations" - A Blues Concert
2024-02-11 14:00 - 15:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register
“A Journey of Generations” – A Blues Concert
Chicago West Community Music Center presents “A Journey of Generations” – A celebration of the Chicago Westside Blues by aspiring young musicians, singers, and luminary blues artists.
On February 11th from 2-3:30pm, celebrate Black History Month and the history of Blues Music with the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Chicago West Community Music Center. This event will be of historic relevance in presenting legendary Westside Blues artists with some of the next generation of Blues players.
Tickets: Free; donations are accepted. Space is limited; if you register and are no longer able to make it, please let us know so we can open up the ticket to someone else.
Accommodations: If you’d like to request accommodations, please email Bendi Qian at bqian@garfieldpark.org. On the registration form, there is also a spot to indicate if you’d like to request an accommodation. Please submit requests at least 72 hours prior to the start of the program.
For more on the Chicago West Community Music Center visit cwcmc.org
Registration closes Sunday, February 11th at 2pm Central Time
This program is made possible in part by PNC and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Spring Flower Show: What's In A Name?
2024-02-14 10:00 - 20:00, 2024-02-15 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-02-16 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-02-17 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-02-18 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-02-21 10:00 - 20:00, 2024-02-22 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-02-23 10:00 - 17:00 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
This year’s Spring Flower Show, What’s in a Name?, explains the history and science of botanical nomenclature alongside a beautiful flower show full of blooms. Plant names are an important way of communicating history, culture, and identity. In addition, because there are many plants with the same common name, or many common names for the same plant, knowing the botanical name helps people know exactly which plant is which. Learn about how to identify plants amongst stunning spring blooms like Tulipa ‘Rococo’, Lilium ‘Josephine’, Viola ‘Matrix Yellow’ and Anemone ‘Giant Blue Poppy’.

The Spring Flower Show opens on February 14th, and runs through May 12th, 2024, in the Show House and is included with every reservation.

Diaspora Dinners
2024-02-14 17:30 - 19:30 | IL
Feb14th register here

During the month of February, we cordially invite families and members of the community to partake in a cooking class, hosted in our community room. This class aims to educate participants on the principles of food justice, self-sufficiency, and sustainability. Our Youth Advisory Council, a select group of members from the Urban Roots program, will lead the class and provide guidance in cooking a delectable meal.

Menu items include:
black eyed pea salad
red lentil stew
cilantro cola

Tickets: Free; donations are accepted. Space is limited; if you register and are no longer able to make it, please let us know so we can open up the ticket to someone else.
Accommodations: If you’d like to request accommodations, please email Grace Urrutia at gurrutia@garfieldpark.org. On the registration form, there is also a spot to indicate if you’d like to request an accommodation. Please submit requests at least 72 hours prior to the start of the program.
Registration closes Sunday, February 4th at 5:30pm Central Time
For more on Urban roots and their mission please visit here

Honey Extraction Workshop
2024-02-14 18:00 - 19:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register
Valentine’s Day Honey Extraction Workshop
Are you looking for something sweet to do on Valentine’s Day? Or do you want to learn more about the honey-to-jar journey? GPCA is offering a one-time workshop on how to extract honey from honeycomb harvested from the Conservatory hives! This will be a part seminar, part hands-on experience in learning how to correctly extract and jar honey.
What to expect:
· A short lecture about the journey honey takes from hives to jars
· Hands-on work extracting and jarring honey
· Using tools such as serrated knives and a centrifuge
Please wear clothing that is comfortable and can get messy. Aprons will be provided.
Gloves and hairnets will be required and provided.
All participants will leave with their very own jar of GPCA honey!
Participants can purchase additional jars of honey at a discounted price!
Instructor Marcin Matelski has been working with honeybees for over 14 years and is the Head Beekeeper with the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance.
$55 General Admission*
$44 Community/Members/Volunteers*
*Limit two tickets per order!
Space is limited!
Class available for ages 18+
Scholarships are available! Please fill out this Scholarship Application (link opens in a new tab) or contact Bendi Qian at bqian@garfieldpark.org for more information. The due date to apply for a scholarship is Sunday, February 4th at 5:00pm CST.
Accommodation: When you register for this workshop, you will be asked to provide any accommodations requests. If you have any questions or would like to request an additional accommodation, please contact access@garfieldpark.org at least 72 hours prior to the event start.
Reservations to visit the Conservatory are included with registration. Participants are encouraged to explore the collection, including the Spring Flower Show, but please note the Conservatory closes at 8pm on Wednesday evenings.
Registration ends February 12th at 5:00pm CST.
For all fee-based programs and tours, we are able to provide full refunds up to two weeks prior to the program date. Within two weeks, we can offer a credit for a future class, or a refund in the event that we have a waitlist for the program and we can fill your spot.

Meeting History: A Garfield Park Citizen Archive
2024-02-18 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-02-22 14:30 - 17:00 | IL
The exhibit “Meeting History: A Garfield Park Citizen Archive” is on display at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago from February 16 to June 21st, in the Community Room. This project visualizes the history of Garfield Park through a citizen archive built in collaboration with local residents. The resulting archive invites you to learn more about the Garfield Park neighborhood through the photographs and stories of those who spent their time there.
This project is a collaboration between the CatchLight Local Visual Desk, led by CatchLight Local Fellow Samantha Friend Cabrera, in collaboration with CatchLight, ProPublica, and the Institute for Nonprofit News, and made possible with generous support from the Kresge Foundation, McCormick Foundation and PhotoWings.
With gratitude to the community members who participated including Annette Britton, Rev. Dr. Marshall Elijah Hatch Sr. and Marshall Hatch Jr., Levette Haynes, Gina Jamison, LaShone Kelly, and Shacarra Westbrooks. The exhibition was curated by Samantha Friend Cabrera with support from Max Herman and Jenny Jacklin Stratton. The exhibition text was co-authored by Samantha Friend Cabrera and ProPublica Reporter Tony Briscoe.
Programming
Programming to be held during the exhibition to be announced soon!
About CatchLight
CatchLight, is a visual-first media organization that leverages the power of visual storytelling to inform, connect, and transform communities. They bring resources and organizations together to discover, develop, and amplify visual storytellers at all levels. In 2019, CatchLight launched the CatchLight Local Visual Desk–A collaborative model for visual journalism that is advancing trust and representation in local news and media
About ProPublica
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force. We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account.

This exhibit is included in your reservation and can be viewed in the Community Room. Hours are subject to change so please check the website the day of your visit to see when the exhibit is on view.

Virtual Beginning Beekeeping Two-Part Class (February)
2024-02-22 18:00 - 20:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register
Spend 2 days virtually connecting with our Head Beekeeper, Marcin Matelski, to learn the basics of beekeeping: equipment, hive design and construction, bee biology and behavior, bee management, and bee products. This lecture based class has been adapted for a virtual experience and is limited in capacity to encourage questions and group interaction. This comprehensive class is a prerequisite for joining the GPCA volunteer beekeeper program. Pre-registration is required.
*This class takes place over the course of 2 days*
Class 1- Thursday, February 22nd 6:00pm-8:30pm
Class 2- Thursday, February 29th 6:00pm-8:30pm
Cost: $50 general admission / $40 Community, GPCA members & volunteers
Scholarships are available! Please fill out this Scholarship Application or contact Bendi at bqian@garfieldpark.org for more information. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Monday, February 15th at 5:00pm CST.
Accommodations: When you register for this workshop you will be asked to provide any accommodations requests. If you have any questions or would like to request an additional accommodation, please contact access@garfieldpark.org, at least 72 hours prior to the event start.
Please read our updated Covid-19 protocols (link opens in a new tab).
Registration ends February 22nd at 5pm CST.
For all fee-based programs and tours, we are able to provide full refunds up to two weeks prior to the program date. Within two weeks, we can offer a credit for a future class, or a refund in the event that we have a waitlist for the program and we can fill your spot.

Tree ID Walk - Winter (Bilingual-English/Spanish)
2024-02-23 10:00 - 11:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Register
Join us in person for a walk around the Conservatory grounds to learn about trees!
This in-person tree ID Walk will be hosted in both English and Spanish. We will explore the trees of beautiful and historic Garfield Park. Interested children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult.
The walk will take place outdoors, rain or shine. Register soon to reserve a spot! Pre-registration is required.
The program is free however donations are appreciated to off-set programming costs. All donations will be split 50/50 between the non-profit educational organizations Openlands and Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance.
Registration closes on Friday, February 23rd at 10:00am Central Time.
——
Primavera, verano, otoño e invierno: aprenda sobre los árboles de la ciudad a lo largo de las estaciones con Openlands.
Este en-persona Tree ID Walk se realizará en Inglés y español. Exploraremos los árboles del hermoso e histórico Garfield Park. Los niños interesados ​​son bienvenidos, pero deben estar acompañados por un adulto.
La caminata se llevará a cabo al aire libre, llueva o truene. ¡Regístrese pronto para reservar un lugar! Es necesario registrarse.
El programa es gratuito y se agradecen las donaciones para compensar los costos de programación. Todas las donaciones se dividirán 50/50 entre las organizaciones Openlands y Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance.
La inscripción cierra el 23 de febrero a las 10:00 a. m., hora central.
