brookgreen

Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Collection at Brookgreen Gardens by Melissa LaScaleia In 1930, a prominent couple from New York, Archer Huntington and Anna Hyatt Huntington, purchased several former rice plantations totaling 9,000 acres of land in Murrells Inlet, which they intended to use as a personal retreat so Anna could recover from a prolonged illness. Archer was one of the wealthiest men in the country, and Anna was an accomplished and highly acclaimed sculptor. Both were philanthropists and passionate patrons of the arts. However, the beauty of the land and gardens that they acquired so captured the imaginations of the couple that they decided to turn their new holdings into an outdoor museum. They formed Brookgreen Gardens as a non-profit organization, with the intention of collecting, preserving, and exhibiting native plant and animal species, as well as American figurative sculpture. When it opened in 1932, Brookgreen became the first public sculpture garden in America. Today, the permanent art collection at Brookgreen includes sculpture and two-dimensional works like paintings and etchings. It provides cultural opportunities for the community as well as for all of South Carolina. In American figurative sculpture, Brookgreen’s collection is the largest and finest in the world. “People may think they need to go to New York, Chicago, or a major metropolitan area to see artwork by major artists, but we have one of the best museums in the country,” says Lauren Joseph, Brookgreen’s marketing director. “Sculpture was always important to the mission of the Gardens and the Huntingtons, as was supporting the arts in general.” In keeping with that mission, after the new year, Brookgreen will host a traveling exhibition on selected works by Rodin, that will be housed in their new Rosen galleries. The galleries opened two years ago as part of Brookgreen’s Capital Campaign to expand the gardens. “The new galleries have given us the opportunity to bring in works of art that we didn’t have the facilities for previously,” Lauren says. “Our curator of sculpture and vice president of art and historic collections, Robin Salmon, is always on the lookout for great traveling exhibitions to share with our Brookgreen members and visitors. This exhibit was at the Columbia Museum of Art last year, and we are very proud to be bringing it to our area.” The exhibit features selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Collection, a philanthropic foundation that actively collects and lends works of art. “The importance of Rodin to sculpture and figurative sculpture as a whole is one of the reasons we are bringing it here,” Lauren says. “Brookgreen has always been a repository for exclusively American artists, but many of the sculptors whom we feature have been influenced by Rodin; he was pivotal. This brings full circle, the history and evolution of modern-day figurative sculpture, and the changes this art form underwent as we came into the 20th century.” Brookgreen members can view the exhibit as well as the Gardens for free. An annual household membership is $110 per year, and can be purchased online. “One of the things many of us realized during the pandemic is that we have too much stuff,” Lauren says. “This holiday season, instead of giving more things, why not give a membership to Brookgreen? It’s special and different and won’t collect dust. Instead, you’ll collect a year of memories for the whole family.” Rodin: Contemplation and Dreams, Sunday, January 29 – Sunday, April 23, 2023. Brookgreem Gardes is open daily 9:30am-5pm. (During Nights of a Thousand Candles, closed during the day.) Free with garden admission. Adults non-members $20; seniors $18; children $10.  Call Us Facebook Instagram

A Haven for Conservation, Art and Education by Melissa LaScaleia In 1930, the dynamic couple Archer Huntington and Anna Hyatt Huntington purchased 9,000 acres of land in Murrells Inlet, the seat of four former Waccamaw Neck rice plantations. Anna had been diagnosed with tuberculosis, and her doctors recommended that she winter someplace warmer than their native NY and Connecticut. The Huntingtons intended to use the land as a personal retreat so Anna could recover her health.  But once they arrived and saw the beauty of the place and the gardens, they realized the property was something that they needed to share with the world. The following year, they formed Brookgreen Gardens as a non-profit organization.  This year marks Brookgreen’s 90th anniversary as a majestic, tranquil, and awe-inspiring space— one that has been delighting visitors since its gates first opened.  “Initially Brookgreen’s mission was to collect, preserve, and exhibit American figurative sculpture and also to collect, preserve, and exhibit the animals and plants of the Southeast,” says Lauren Joseph, Brookgreen’s marketing director. “Brookgreen became the first public sculpture garden in America when it opened to the public in 1932.”  Archer was one of the wealthiest men in the country at that time. And Anna was one of the most successful young woman in business, even before she married Archer. She was a prominent and widely acclaimed sculptor, receiving major commissions for her art. She supported herself fully as a young woman in the ’20s, something that was rare for that age. In addition to being a businessman, Archer was a poet and a scholar; he loved art and museums.  “When they realized that this property could be an outdoor museum, it captured both of their imaginations,” Lauren says.  The Great Depression created challenges all over America, and the Myrtle Beach area was no exception. In the ’30s, Murrells Inlet had no electricity and no health care. Highway 17 was a one-lane dirt track, and most people used the river to get from place to place.  When the Huntingtons arrived on the scene, they brought electricity; established a free health clinic for the community; opened a school; and employed the local population, many of whom were descendants of enslaved Africans. They ushered in vitality, opportunity, and hope to an economically and socially impoverished place.  “The Huntingtons really wanted to give work to the people who were here and help them live better lives,” Lauren says. “From the very beginning, they wanted to build into the community, something we continue to purport to this day.”  Many know of Brookgreen solely as a park. And indeed, it is an award-winning public garden. Brookgreen’s conservation efforts ensure that a large variety of native plants and trees are being preserved for future generations. Oak Alley (above), is an awe-inspiring part of the gardens, housing Live Oak trees that are upwards of 200 years old. (Photo courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens) Brookgreen is a member of the American Public Garden Association (APGA), and in the peer group of some of the most impressive gardens in the US. They even have a boxwood collection that dates to the days when the area was a plantation.  But people may not realize the importance of the American sculpture that is housed here — or the extensive conservation efforts the organization entertains both with animals and horticulture.  Brookgreen is a fully accredited zoo through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and an accredited art museum through the American Alliance of Museums. “There’s always been a zoo at Brookgreen,” Lauren says. “Anna loved animals and was an animal sculptor, and the idea of conserving and educating people about the local wildlife has always been important. The zoo has river otters, foxes, species of raptors, ducks, and deer. They are all here to facilitate a better understanding of the animals for those who visit.”  Brookgreen has a domestic animal exhibit that helps to preserve animal breeds that would have been common on farms in the 1800s.  “We work with a heritage-breed group and help to sustain these species for the future,” Lauren says. “North American river otters are a threatened species. We are also part of a program through The Association of Zoos and Aquariums called, The Species Survival Plan. And we are working with the otters as part of a breeding program to keep these animals healthy and vibrant. We are also getting ready to bring red wolves here, the most threatened canid in North America.”  Brookgreen will have a red wolf habitat with two breeding pairs of wolves to help sustain the species and even reintroduce these wolves back into the wild if they do go extinct. They anticipate it will be built by this fall, or January 2022 at the latest.   The permanent art collection at Brookgreen includes sculpture and two-dimensional works like paintings and etchings. It provides cultural opportunities for the community as well as for all of South Carolina. In American figurative sculpture, Brookgreen’s collection is the largest and finest in the world.  “People may think they need to go to New York, Chicago, or a major metropolitan area to see artwork by major artists, but we have one of the best museums in the country,” Lauren says. “Sculpture was always important to the mission of the Gardens and the Huntingtons.  “In the ‘30s, artists were hurting because of the Depression. Suddenly no one had money to commission sculptors. But the Huntingtons did. They continued to support the arts and add to the Brookgreen collection. Many of the pieces too, were made by Anna.” During the Great Depression, the Huntingtons continued to commission sculpture to support the arts when most others were unable to do so. Above, Riders of the Dawn, by A.A. Weinman, a German-born American sculpture. (Photo courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens) As part of their ongoing mission to perpetuate cultural opportunities, Brookgreen offers sculpture workshops taught by artists from all over the country. They also have a sculptor-in-residence who will be teaching their newly established program … Read more