Exhibition Opening and Contemporary Folk Band Hawthorne at Bartow-Pell Mansion Musuem "First Friday! In April"

The Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum kicks off its First Friday! season with the opening of its new exhibit, Dibbles to Daisy Grubbers: The Art of the Garden Tool, and the contemporary folk sound of Nat Osborn and his band Hawthorne, on Friday, April 6, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The exhibit, which runs from April 1 through July 1, features a fascinating array of antique garden tools — both the unusual and the ordinary — from the collection of landscape architect Mark Morrison, RLA, FASLA,GRP. From cucumber straighteners and wasp catchers to trowels and watering cans, the display contains tools made in Europe and North America over the past three centuries, some handmade by blacksmiths and other craftsmen, and others made by machine. Primarily composed of wood and metals, many of these tools are works of art that can still be used today.

For the first First Friday! of 2012, the Brooklyn-based Hawthorne will perform original music spanning various acoustic styles and genres, including indie-folk and Americana, with a touch of country, Irish folk, and even gypsy jazz. A native New Yorker who was raised in Pelham, Nat Osborn formed the band and writes most of the material. He will be on guitar and vocals. Joining him will be Aimee Bayles on vocals; Karna Ray on cello; and Stu Mahan on bass. Hawthorne frequently performs at Joe’s Pub and Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan, and at other venues in the metro New York area.

“We are thrilled to offer visitors to Bartow-Pell a bonus on this First Friday! of 2012. Not
only can they hear Hawthorne’s unique sound but they can also view our display of fascinating and beautiful garden tools,” says BPMM executive director Ellen Bruzelius.

The Museum will be open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors may view the exhibit, tour the mansion, and stroll the garden. Tickets are $8; $5 for seniors and students; and free for members. Light refreshments will be provided at no charge. Free transportation is provided by the Bronx Seaside Trolley, which makes a continuous loop from the Bx29 bus stop at Pelham Bay Park (last stop on the #6 train) to the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and to City Island.

Reservations are requested; call 718-885-1461 or email info@bpmm.org. For the Bronx Seaside Trolley schedule, visit www.bpmm.org. For more information about Hawthorne, visit www.hawthornemusic.com. For more information about Mark Morrison, visit www.markkmorrison.com.

The Dibbles to Daisy Grubbers exhibit can be viewed when the mansion is open to the public on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m., from April 1 through July 1. Mansion admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children under six.