Julia Whitney Barnes, Brighton Botanical, 2024, laminated glass with digitally printed interlayer, PS 253 Addition, Brooklyn ​

Brighton Botanical is a site-specific artwork created by Julia Whitney Barnes for the lobby of the new P.S. 253 Addition, Brooklyn. The immersive glass installation depicts an array of colorful flowers blossoming across the vestibule windows, measuring over 24 feet wide and 14 feet high. To create the artwork, Whitney Barnes researched plant species from around the world, selecting only those that thrive in Brooklyn. Fifty-three different varieties are included, serving as a metaphor for the diverse student community at P.S. 253. Pollinators, including a hummingbird and several species of butterflies interact with the plants throughout the design. The symbolism of each flower played an important role in the artist’s selection process. Several flowers, such as echinacea, have important medicinal properties; others, like the lotus, are significant in literature; and the sunflower, an essential food source for both humans and animals, symbolizes strength, resilience, happiness and positivity.  

Whitney Barnes collaged together an assortment of materials including paintings, prints and photographs to form a beautiful and idyllic field of flowers with varying textures, colors and degrees of transparency. When the design was transferred to glass, the natural effects of light further enhanced the contrasts and harmony among the various blooms. The bright floral hues change throughout the day as the colorful petals and vibrant stalks catch the shifting sunlight. Visible from the street, inside the school’s main lobby, and at eye level from the second floor, Brighton Botanical welcomes visitors and encourages students to examine the carefully rendered flowers from multiple viewpoints and invites them to seek aesthetic, scientific and literary inspiration in the natural beauty that surrounds them.