FERTILE IMAGINATION

DESIGNING A ROOFTOP GARDEN FOR THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM, SARA ZEWDE TAKES INSPIRATION FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS A PLACE AND AS AN IDEA

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AD100 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT SARA ZEWDE, WEARING AN AKRIS DRESS AND CANO JEWELRY, AT THE ROOFTOP GARDEN SHE DESIGNED FOR MANHATTAN'S STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM'S NEW BUILDING. FASHION STYLING BY KAH LI HASLAM.

UNVEILED THIS PAST NOVEMBER, the new home of the Studio Museum in Harlem cuts a fine figure on the local skyline, its stacked form, clad in dark-gray cast concrete, spanning the depth of a block. But look up from 125th Street and you might just spy a banana leaf waving above, where AD100 landscape architect Sara Zewde has designed a must-see garden for the beloved 58-year-old institution, dedicated to the work of Black and African diaspora artists. On its rooftop, surrounded by sweeping city views, flora both familiar and unexpected now converge in homage to the neighborhood—its legacy and its future.

“Gardens aren’t just things to look at,” reflects Zewde. “They’re important to how communities evolve and social movements happen.” She is speaking from her parlor-level office at the corner of West 121st Street and Malcolm X Boulevard, where her conference room’s broad window frames the bustling streetscape. “I always say I moved to Harlem, not New York City,” notes the Louisiana native, who arrived in 2019 after stints in Seattle, Washington, DC, and a monthslong cross-country research trip. She now lives a short walk from her studio. Neighbors regularly wave from the sidewalk. Curious eyes peer inside.