"Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean" | Solo exhibition by Naomi Lawrence
on view through Sunday, May 24

Discover the vibrant blooms of the Eastern Mediterranean through Naomi Lawrence’s stunning solo art show—come see it live!

"Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean" celebrates the yearning for a new season and the promise it brings. It features stunning works inspired by the vibrant colors of nature and the imagined beauty of our public spaces. Step into Naomi’s unique vision and experience her rich, expressive palette and designs up close.

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, March 27 , 7 - 9 pm
FIBER ART WORKSHOP: Tue., May 5, 10 am - 1 pm (Registration coming soon!)

exhibit statement

W83 Ministry Center presents Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean by fiber artist Naomi Lawrence. 

In a city defined by constant motion, Lawrence’s work creates space to pause, reflect, and witness renewal. As New York emerges from the stillness of winter into a warmer season, her vibrant crochet installations mirror the quiet transformation unfolding across its streets. 

Introducing bursts of color, majestic formats, the softness of yarns, and life itself into urban landscapes, her artworks and hand-crafted compositions reflect a shared sense of hope that accompanies our longing for the arrival of spring, and translates her subjects into tactile, immersive forms that invite both close contemplation and collective connection.

Public engagement lies at the core of Naomi’s practice. Her installations extend beyond traditional gallery settings, inhabiting parks, schoolyards, and chain-link fences—sites shaped by weather, time, and community presence. Installed for months and often carefully maintained and reinstalled, these works echo the rhythms of the city itself: resilient, cyclical, and ever-renewing. Like seasonal blooms, they become familiar markers of change, greeting neighbors and passersby as daily life unfolds around them. 

For this exhibition, Naomi brings her signature oversized crochet flowers indoors, offering an opportunity for close looking, amazement, and contemplation. Rooted in botanical references from the Bible, the works explore the layered meanings of plant life in ancient texts —connecting nature, spirituality, and our present urban life. 

At its heart, Lawrence’s practice is grounded in connection: to community, to place, and to the enduring cycles of the natural and spiritual world. Her work invites viewers into a shared experience of care, belonging, and renewal. Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean is both a seasonal journey that today we dedicate to New York’s seasonal awakening—an invitation to slow down, to breathe, to notice, and to embrace the quiet resilience and beauty that emerges as the city, like the flowers, comes into bloom once again.

artist statement

My oversized flowers most often live outside in urban environments. For my first solo show, I am delighted to bring them inside.

The original theme was Flowers from the Bible. Biblical flowers and plants are not always easy to identify because the original Hebrew and Greek texts rely on broad, descriptive language rather than precise botanical terms. As a result, translation differences, the cultural setting of ancient Palestine, and the symbolic intent of the texts often blur their exact identification.

As the final theme unfolded and the flowers were chosen from the list of countries, I had two “aha” moments. I realized two of the flowers were already deeply familiar to me, having been the subjects of two of my favorite paintings—Almond Blossom by Vincent van Gogh and Black Iris III by Georgia O’Keeffe.

I chose seven subjects, including the Faqqua Iris, Damask Rose, Almond Blossom, White Anemones, Black Iris and Milk Thistle. Some of these represent individual countries and some are known throughout the region (see individual labels for more information on each piece).

My research has given me an appreciation for each subject – its native environment, cultural significance, as well as stories and memories discovered online or shared with me in person. Please enjoy this botanical journey through the Eastern Mediterranean.

about the artist

Naomi Lawrence is a NYC Fiber Artist based in East Harlem. She works with acrylic yarn to create oversized 2-Dimensional crochet flowers, trees and wildlife. The site-specific installations are sewn onto chain-link fences in parks and public spaces.

Originally from England, UK, the first installation she created in 2014, Blue Iris endeared her to the East Harlem community that she now calls home. Her installations take a few months to create but have been approved by the city to stay in place for up to one year. They are often washed and refurbished to be reinstalled in various locations such as school playgrounds. Public engagement is a primary goal of each installation. The works become part of the urban landscape, and their audience is made up of people who live, work, and pass by the sites in their daily lives. Her work has become in demand by arts organizations and city agencies.

Lawrence studied Floral Design at the University of the Arts in London, 2007 and worked as a florist before immigrating to the U.S. She has been knitting since 1999 and crocheting since 2009. Naomi’s work is freeform crochet and does not follow a pattern. She works with photographs so that she can reproduce subtle changes in color found in nature. 

Naomi and her family relocated to East Harlem from London England 12 years ago and in 2023 became United States citizens. As a family, they are committed to their neighborhood and enjoy raising their 4 children here in New York.

“Feeling close to our neighbors, school families and community organizations across the area and committing to our neighborhood has been essential in putting down roots and thriving as a family unit” says Lawrence.

“I love that neighbors and their children are familiar with my crochet work and so used to seeing them around the streets and parks where they live.”

Naomi and her husband Chris are members of InnerCHANGE East Harlem, a Christian order that journeys with those who are marginalized www.innerchange.org

Naomi is Artist in Residence at Church of Saint Edward the Martyr in East Harlem where her family also attend. With City Seminary of New York, Naomi is a member of its Creative Community Care Residency and a Hub Grantee.

Follow Naomi on Instagram: @naomilawrence.art

Visit her web: www.naomilawrence.com

about the gallery

At the Gallery at W83, we cultivate art and community on the Upper West Side, providing space for personal engagement, community conversations, and spiritual reflection, and collaborate with local artists from diverse backgrounds to explore universal themes of culture, community, and faith.

We bring together different perspectives in this space as an invitation to join in conversations we believe are vital to us all. We affirm the artist's right to express their views independently, and the views expressed by the artists are their own and do not necessarily represent the Gallery at W83 or Redeemer West Side.