While the Queens Botanical Garden, a 39-acre urban oasis on Main Street in the heart of Flushing, remains a popular destination for lovers of horticulture, it is by no means the only local spot where one can see landscapes of unusual creativity and beauty, as evidenced by a new photography book and companion exhibition.<\/p>\n
In his book \u201cAll the Queens Gardens,\u201d architect, artist and Jackson Heights resident Rafael Herrin-Ferri spotlights approximately 100 of the borough\u2019s most alluring yards and gardens, some ostentatiously over-the-top, some created around simple plastic liner pots.<\/p>\n
And now, the Voelker Orth Museum, a converted 1890s house located at 149-19 38 Ave. that invites reflection on life in Flushing then and now, presents, through Sept. 27, an exhibition featuring a selection of around two dozen enlarged images from Herrin-Ferri\u2019s book.<\/p>\n
The museum provides the ideal setting for the photographs, each personally selected by the lensman, and generously displays them throughout multiple rooms. Herrin-Ferri himself designed the exhibition, which took a couple of days to install, according to Deborah Silverfine, the museum\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is probably the first time we\u2019ve worked with an architect who has a totally different approach to an exhibit,\u201d Silverfine said. \u201cI am so excited to see how he understood our space and married the exhibition to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Herrin-Ferri, \u201cIt was an interesting process. I wanted the photographs to relate to each space in the house. The house is an exhibit, so this is an exhibit in an exhibit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deciding where each of the chosen photographs would be displayed took a great deal of consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was based on the room, the spirit, the d\u00e9cor,\u201d Herrin-Ferri said, adding that the photos were picked \u201cto contrast or relate\u201d to each room.<\/p>\n
His background \u201chelped with certain aesthetic decisions,\u201d he said. \u201cTo make it really feel like an exhibit in a gallery we needed to include all the spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that in mind, a photo of a \u201cChinese American Cooking Pavillion,\u201d taken in Queensboro Hill in 2024, was placed strategically in the sun porch. The \u201cDr. Seuss Stair Garden\u201d (Auburndale, 2019) settled into the parlor, along with \u201cShaggy Maple\u201d (Forest Hills, 2024), \u201cFront Yard Boxwood Parterre\u201d (Howard Beach, 2024) and others.<\/p>\n
The first library features \u201cSidewalk Sushi Knots\u201d (Kew Gardens Hills, 2024), while \u201cYellow Lava Garden\u201d (St. Albans, 2024) adorns the dining room. Even the restroom has been included, featuring \u201cAqua Checkerboard\u201d (Maspeth, 2023).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a whole new set of large-scale prints for the exhibition,\u201d Silverfine said. \u201cEach print size was designed for the space. And Rafael wanted them to appear to float.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEach room becomes like a neighborhood,\u201d Herrin-Ferri said.<\/p>\n
The author was born in Barcelona in 1972. In 2013, he began to study the Queens urban vernacular via photography. In 2021, he published \u201cAll the Queens Houses,\u201d a selection of some of the borough\u2019s house portraits.<\/p>\n
His latest book, through its photographs and text, explores the personal and cultural stories behind the landscapes, reflecting the cultural diversity of the borough.<\/p>\n
One of the gardens featured in the book, though not in the exhibit, is just a few doors down from the museum and worth taking a walk to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are very few urban situations where you can see the types of gardens you see in Queens,\u201d Herrin-Ferri said. \u201cIt is something to be treasured.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRafael helps us see how varied and imaginative home gardeners are today,\u201d Silverfine said. \u201cI hope people get inspired to try some gardening on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n