Join New Jersey Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May as they host “Create Today” and their Wildlife-Friendly Plant Sale Saturday, May 20. Artists are invited to create artwork on the grounds of the Nature Center of Cape May between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. All artwork created during the day will be for sale at an artist’s reception from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Good Neighbor Fund, which provides Nature Center summer camp scholarships to children of Coast Guard families. Wildlife-friendly native plants will be available for purchase starting at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday of this weekend. The Nature Center of Cape May is located at 1600 Delaware Ave., Cape May.
The public is invited to visit the Nature Center to witness art in the making and attend the artists’ reception from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. to view and purchase the art created that day. Check in and registration for artists is from 9 to 10 a.m. There will be a $5 registration fee for each work of art displayed at the reception. Participants can work in any medium. “Last year we had all sorts of artists involved including oil painters, photographers, printmakers, watercolorists and someone even made a mirror out of driftwood!” explains Janet Payne of the organizing committee. It is suggested that participants bring a box lunch and picnic on the grounds of the Nature Center.
Also happening on May 20, as part of the Cape May Spring Festival, a special luncheon will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Grand Hotel for a $25 fee. The luncheon will feature Doug Tallamy, author of “Bringing Nature Home.” It’s the wildlife habitat gardener’s Bible! He is sure to inspire you to plant for birds, pollinators and other wildlife. After the luncheon, from 2:45 to 5:15 p.m., there will be an exclusive trolley tour with Dr.Tallamy and Pat Sutton to visit local wildlife gardens for a $50 fee. The trip arrives at the Wildlife-Friendly Plant Sale at the Nature Center of Cape May at 4:30 p.m. You may register for either of these events at www.njaudubon.org.
“The Nature Center grounds and the Cape May Harbor views are very inspiring. We are hoping this will be a fun day for all, whether you are an artist, a gardener or both! This will be a good opportunity for the community to meet and talk to local artists and see how they work, as well as pick up a few native plants for your garden,” explains Gretchen Whitman, director of the Nature Center of Cape May. For more information about the day’s events, please contact the Nature Center at (609) 427-3045.