First artist for Medina Triennial on site building Floating Garden on Canal

Mary Mattingly did similar project in New York City with 350,000 visitors

Photos by Tom Rivers: Mary Mattingly is shown on a canal barge that she has begun turning into a floating garden that should bear fruit next summer as part of the inaugural Medina Triennial.

MEDINA – The next six weeks a rusty and out-of-serve canal barge will be given new life as a very unlikely base for a floating garden.

Mary Mattingly is turning he 27-by-80-foot barge into a showcase for plants and nature. She led a similar initiative in New York City, and that repurposed barge drew 350,000 visitors and more than 900 guided tours.

Mattingly is in town locally as one of 12 featured artists in the Medina Triennial. She is the first of the artists to be working in residence on her project. Five of the artists are expected to be doing their work in residence as part of the Triennial that will feature about 50 artistic works at 10 to 12 indoor and outdoor sites next year from June 6 to Sept. 7. Triennial organizers expect the major art initiative will draw 50,000 people to Medina over the three months next year.

The Triennial is spearheaded by the NYS Canal Corp. and New York Power Authority with input from the major art galleries in the Rochester and Buffalo region.

Mattingly is renown as an ecological art pioneer and her participation is a big honor for the Triennial, said Kari Conte, co-artistic director for the Triennial.

“This is an incredibly big project by Mary Mattingly,” Conte said Saturday during an discussion at the Triennial’s headquarters in a kick off teaser to next year. “She’s taking a chance on a startup.”

Mary Mattingly shares about the project during a discussion on Saturday at the Medina Triennial “Hub” at 345 Main St., a building that for many years was used by NAPA Auto Parts. It will be the base for the Triennial and arts program through 2026.

Mattingly has been working on the barge the past two weeks, getting it ready for eight different areas that will be growing plants. She has been talking with local residents about what they want to see on the barge when the plants are blooming and producing next year.

She held a workshop Sunday at the Triennial “Hub” to get more input. The group convinced her to have one of the eight spots be for butterflies. Mattingly said the garden will be designed so the eight sections compliment and don’t compete with each other.

People shared personal stories about why they feel connected to certain plants, and Mattingly said she wants to display those anecdotes as part of the floating garden.

Mattingly has a lot of work to do in the next six weeks, bringing in soil and creating a healthy growing medium for the plants. The barge will winter away from Medina and will return at the start of next year’s canal season. By the time the Triennial starts on June 6, the barge should be a vibrant ecosystem.

She thanked local residents for their input and kindness while she has been working on the project in Medina.

“I feel very at home,” she told about 75 people during the opening session on Saturday. “I’m learning a lot.”