Twelve members of our Curator’s Circle recently journeyed to Virginia to explore connections with Brookgreen Gardens in history, art, and the gardens.  Our accommodations for the trip were in a historic house in Colonial Williamsburg, where we were able to enjoy walks through the colonial area, including a guided walk by the Director of Landscape and a private tour of the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.  One of the museums of Colonial Williamsburg, the DeWitt houses a variety of the "finer things," including the world's most extensive collection of southern furniture, including collections from families related to Brookgreen Gardens property and South Carolin history.  President Cliff Fleet welcomed us at a special dinner at the Williamsburg Inn.    

    In Newport News, our first stop was the Mariner’s Museum and Park, founded by Archer Huntington in 1930.  The curatorial staff rolled out the red carpet with private tours and presentations on the museum’s maritime collections, many of which were collected by Archer Huntington, beginning the most extensive maritime history collection in America.  Our group was especially excited to see their Jaguar and Reaching Jaguar in Granite, sister sculptures to Anna Hyatt Huntington’s works of the same name in bronze, exhibited in Oak Allee.  The Huntington-inspired architecture of open brick and arches at the Museum was certainly familiar!

The Mary M. Torggler Museum at Christopher Newport University presented A Grand Menagerie: The Sculpture of Anna Hyatt Huntington April 20 - October 6, 2024, with Brookgreen Gardens as the largest lender to the exhibition.  Robin also provided an essay for the catalog in addition to assistance with the exhibition plans and a program.  Our group was excited to see the room designed to represent Brookgreen Gardens and the Huntington’s love of this special place as well as a special student performance in the gallery.  Following the program, our dinner that evening was at the James River Country Club, home to the Golf Museum created by Archer Huntington. We could almost hear Archer Huntington sharing his famous quote “wherever I put my foot down, a museum springs up.”

Thank you to the intrepid travelers who made this trip special, and as true ambassadors for the Gardens, invited our new Virginia friends to join us at Brookgreen!

Page Hayhurst Kiniry
President and CEO