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Philadelphia Gardens in Fall

EVENTS > SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Decorative Arts Trust Special Program

October 17, 2020, 10:30 am to 5:00 pm

Join us outside as we explore Philadelphia’s 300-year-old horticultural legacy. Our day begins with a walking tour of Bartram’s Garden, one of the country’s most influential early gardens, with curator Joel Fry. The 45-acre National Historic Landmark has been the home of John Bartram’s botanical collection since 1728. Bartram (1699–1777) was a third-generation Pennsylvania Quaker who used his curiosity and reverence for nature, as well as a passion for scientific inquiry, to build the most varied collection of North American plants in the world. A man of tremendous influence, Bartram co-founded the American Philosophical Society with his friend Benjamin Franklin. His garden was a source of social exchange and serious inquiry for luminaries like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

After a custom farm-to-table box lunch from Helm, a budding foodie hub in Kensington, we head to an entirely different yet no-less-iconic Philadelphia green space, Fairmount Park, where we visit the Shofuso House and Garden for a curator-led tour. This 17th-century-style Japanese house was built in Japan in the mid-20th century as a gift to American citizens, symbolizing post-war peace and friendship between the two countries. The Museum of Modern Art exhibited the house in 1953 before it was gifted to Philadelphia in 1958. The Garden was initially designed by Tansai Sano and was updated in the 1970s by Ken Nakajima. Those electing to venture inside will also enjoy an exclusive tour of the recently opened exhibition Shofuso and Modernism: Mid-Century Collaboration between Japan and Philadelphia, led by the curator, William Whittaker, PhD, Curator of the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design.

Registration Fee: $125

Attendance is limited. Social distancing and masks are required. This program is rain or shine. Due to the complexities of running a program during this time, we are unable to offer refunds after Sunday, October 11, 2020. 

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