Party in the Garden: Inside the New York Botanical Garden’s Conservatory Ball

Last Thursday night, New York’s social set ventured out to the New York Botanical Garden for the Conservatory Ball. This year, the event celebrated the just-opened summer exhibition, “…things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting…” by the talented contemporary artist, Ebony G. Patterson. At a Perrier-Jouët-filled cocktail hour, guests could wander the garden grounds to take in Patternson’s thought-provoking installations—from the monumental peacock sculpture to the swarm of glimmering, glitter-encrusted vultures—which explore race, gender, and colonialism, all interwoven with the intricate beauty of exotic flora.

As the sun set, attendees were gracefully escorted to the Conservatory Tent, where a sit-down dinner awaited. Among the guests were the chairs of the event, Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Bartlett Jr., and fellow Garden patrons Friederike K. Biggs, Georgina Bloomberg, Maureen K., and Richard L. Chilton Jr., Amy Fine Collins, Fe Fendi, Flora Collins, and Lili Buffett.

The event was made possible by the support of The Bancorp, Bartlett Tree Experts, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Hearst, and Perrier Jouet, whose contributions fund the Botanical Garden’s esteemed botanical research, horticulture, and children’s education programs.

As New York continued to enjoy a very mild June, guests luxuriated in the spring-like weather—all the better to spend the night dancing to DJ Runna’s set.