Landon Newton '11J

Landon Newton is an artist and garden designer based in New York City. Her interdisciplinary practice explores the reciprocal relationships between plants and people. Working across  installation, photography, and socially engaged art she investigates themes of permanence,  historical distortion, care, and maintenance—often using living plants as both material and  collaborator. Landon is also the founder of a specialized garden design and consultation studio in  New York City, with projects ranging from the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center to  intimate rooftop pollinator pathway gardens. Her approach integrates aesthetic vision with  ecological stewardship. 

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Socrates Sculpture Park Annual  Fellowship, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Creative Capital’s “On Our Radar.” She  has been an artist-in-residence at the Studios at MASS MoCA, Denniston Hill, The Soil Factory,  Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and the Ucross Foundation. Her work has been  exhibited at venues such as the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Frieze New York, SUNY  Purchase, Barnard College, and the Queens Museum. Currently, her work explores how plant  intelligence and consciousness challenge human-centered perceptions of time, especially within  the context of ecological care.
 
Landon's deep connection to the botanic garden at Smith began with her internship in the  summer of 2009, an experience that helped shape her decision to minor in Landscape Studies.  She is honored to bring her love for plants and her collaborative approach to the Botanic Garden  Leadership Council. She looks forward to supporting and elevating the impact of the gardens that  have been so foundational to her development as both an artist and a gardener.