One night, on the Upper West Side, Méïr Srebriansky and his wife were walking home, as they turned a corner, they were met by an assortment of flowers, and she exclaimed: "I wish you would buy me flowers more often." The following day, in his studio, Méïr laid out plastic sheets instead of canvas and began the complex chemistry of mixing resin – with care and attention, he poured his wife flowers.

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As if preempting the crisis, Srebriansky’s fortuitous and urgent turn to whimsy and cheerful flowers was both timely and indispensable. For their summer show, 81 Leonard Gallery, has staged Garden Party as an ode to innocence that catalyzes joy to highlight a moment of relief.