Event Description
“Mexico: A Celebration of Plants & Culture,” is a yearlong exploration of Mexico’s plants and their cultural connections. The season features major art exhibitions — including a botanical homage to artist Frida Kahlo — new festivals, and the return of annual favorites, such as Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden.
Plants offer a window into culture, lifestyle, faith, and tradition, as well as an opportunity to consider connections between communities. Southwest Florida and portions of Mexico share a tropical wet forest ecosystem and many overlapping plant species. Mexico is the birthplace of crops such as corn, beans, and tomatoes that are essential to cuisines around the world. It harbors 10% of the world’s flora, making it one of the most biodiverse places on Earth and underscoring Naples Botanical Garden’s commitment to plant conservation throughout South Florida, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Purchase Your Garden Admission Tickets
Included with Garden admission.
November 1, 2022 – March 5, 2023
La Calavera Catrina features eight towering sculptures of La Catrina, one of the most recognizable figures of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Designed by Los Angeles-based artist Ricardo Soltero, these 8-foot-tall, brightly adorned sculptures will add an element of surprise to your Garden stroll.
La Calavera Catrina is organized by Denver Botanic Gardens.
November 5 & 6, 2022
Join us in the Garden for a joyous Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration. With origins in Mexico, this colorful holiday is a time to share memories of loved ones, and celebrate our families and friends. Discover the holiday’s significance and its rich culture though special displays, tours, and arts and crafts stations. Immerse yourself in live music, dance performances, and delicious dishes. Bring the whole family for an adventure in color, aroma, and flavor.
January 14 – September 10, 2023
Venture into the world of Frida Kahlo (1907 – 1954) as you explore a re-creation of La Casa Azul, the artist’s iconic blue home in Coyoacán, Mexico City. A year in the making, this exhibition is a garden within the Garden, teeming with plants that inspired her paintings, those that embellished her home, and those that reflect Mexico’s rich heritage. Throughout the Garden, you’ll also encounter monumental animal sculptures adorned with folk art representing important influences on Kahlo’s life and work.
Special thanks to Banco de México Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust.
Visit the Garden after hours the first Friday of the month, February – May 2023, and enjoy special entertainment complementing our Frida and Her Garden exhibition.
February 3 – May 29, Fogg Café
Inspired by Mexican folk art and her many visits to Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, Patricia Cavazos uses vivid colors and forms to tell stories of the culture and history of her homeland, Mexico. With a focus on the depiction of Aztec deities, this spotlight exhibition highlights Aztec culture and mythology through intricate and abstract textile artwork.
April 7 – June 11, Kapnick Hall
Inspired by a trip to Mexico and Frida Kahlo’s home, La Casa Azul, Isabelle de Borchgrave explores iconic symbols and traditions in Mexican culture. Through her intricately fashioned works of art, de Borchgrave acknowledges the interconnection between life and death — something of great importance both to Kahlo and Mexico. De Borchgrave’s works are constructed entirely from paper, playfully inviting the viewer to look deeply at the work as well as the complex ideas they represent.
These events and exhibitions support this year’s theme, Mexico: A Celebration of Plants & Culture, which highlights one of the most biodiverse places on Earth and celebrates cultural connections to the natural world.
Supported by:
Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
