
Photo by Timothy Schenck

Photo by Timothy Schenck

Photo by Timothy Schenck

Photo by Timothy Schenck

Photo by Timothy Schenck

Photo by Timothy Schenck

Photo by Timothy Schenck

Photo by Timothy Schenck
The Open Orchard
by Sam Van Aken
Combining public art and environmental preservation, The Open Orchard is an expansive new artwork on Governors Island by Sam Van Aken and commissioned through Governors Island Arts. Taking the form of a public orchard comprised of 102 fruit trees, The Open Orchard will act as a living archive for antique and heirloom fruit varieties that were grown in and around New York City in the past 400 years but have mostly disappeared due to climate change and the industrialization of agriculture.
The fruit varieties present in The Open Orchard are all indigenous to, originating in or have been historically grown in New York City. Using a unique grafting process, Van Aken combines multiple fruit varieties into a single tree — so different varieties grow alongside one another. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these hybrid trees undertake the critical work of preserving rare fruit varieties in a safe environment, providing a road map for innovative techniques to maintain vital biodiversity in the face of a changing climate.
As part of this monumental project, nearly 100 additional trees will be donated and planted in community gardens throughout the five boroughs in partnership with NYC Parks GreenThumb, the largest community gardening program in the United States. In addition, The Open Orchard will include a range of public programs, including a continued workshop series, talks and performances, fruit tastings, harvest events, culinary lessons and more.
Interested in helping The Open Orchard grow? To support this project or make a donation, email commissions@govisland.org.
The Open Orchard is made possible through the generous support of The Gottesman Fund, Charina Endowment Fund, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Sleepy Cat Farm Foundation and Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation. Additional landscape support is generously provided by BrightView.
Acknowledging the ancestral land and agricultural practices of Pagganck’s (Governors Island) First Peoples, the Lenape, the Open Orchard returns the native fruit varieties essential to Lenape culture and respects the Lenape land use philosophy where a tree like all of Lenapehoking is commonly held with one only coming to be gifted the fruit from its branches.
Related
See below for past programs and events on Governors Island.