Ron and Stacey will share stories about their adventures diving the local rivers of our area. They will share some of the artifacts they have brought back to the surface and talk about some of the things that remain. Tools and equipment used to dive the dark black rivers in our area along with artifacts will be displayed. Join us for this relaxed, lighthearted and educational discussion of exploring underneath our local waters.

Limit 24,  Included with Garden Admission.

This program is full.

We've all made mistakes in the garden, sometimes at the expense of our plants, or even ourselves! From the dreaded question of when to water, to erroneously thinking you’re a poison ivy expert, and plenty in between. Join Lucy Contreras, Manager of Horticulture Education and Plant Collections as she chronicles some of the mistakes she's made throughout her career in horticulture, from the early days, right on through the present. Reflect on lessons learned, how to rebound from faux pas, and those mistakes really are the best way to learn and grow.

About the Speaker: 

Lucy Contreras is the Manager of Horticulture Education and Plant Collections at Brookgreen Gardens. She began her career in public horticulture in Long Island, New York where she worked primarily with roses at historic Old Westbury Gardens. Lucy's path took her south to Brookgreen Gardens in 2016 where she has been a Horticulturist, Manager of Plant Collections, and is now in her current role in the Creative Education Department. 

Join Hal Vivian, a long-time member of the Audubon Society and avid birder, plus a long-time member and volunteer at Brookgreen Gardens, as he leads you on a walking tour of the birds around the gardens of Brookgreen.

Meet in the Wall Lowcountry Center Complex. Bring binoculars and walking shoes. A roundup will follow with coffee and donuts from 9:00 – 10:00 under the Program Shed in the Wall Lowcountry Center.

Free for members and included with Garden admission for non-members. Admission tickets must be purchased online before the event.

Come through the South Gate and meet at the Wall Lowcountry Center at 7:00 a.m. Parking is available in the field across from the Wall Lowcountry Complex.

Limit of 12 per tour.

All fall bird walks are full. Look for the spring bird walks to be announced in early 2022.

The theme of the holiday exhibit is traditional – trains and treasured memories of past holiday seasons.

Trains by Lionel and American Flyer chug through landscapes designed and built by department staff. New this year is a vintage American Flyer layout from the early 1960s in the Mize Gallery.  Also returning are “Amusement Park and Pavilion,” evoking the views and sounds of the historic Myrtle Beach Pavilion, and 1950s vintage trains from a private collector. These historic vignettes wrap the old and the new in holiday warmth inside the Rosen Galleries. Outdoors, you will find a G-scale train display on the lawn in front of the pool in the Jewell Plaza.

The exhibit will also be open on the days the Gardens are open for general daytime admission, but the trains will not be running. During Nights of a Thousand Candles, our engineers will be running all the trains!

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the exhibit presents  A.Thomas Schomberg’s series of sculptures portraying the feelings of horror, anguish, and loss following the events of the attacks on America involving the World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93. 

Schomberg says, “This column series I have been focusing on over the last several years is a collection of metamorphic figures that can be best described as individual vignettes of emotion.  Each sculpture, encompassing one to four figures, is the embodiment of separate and unique emotions…These works are giving me a unique opportunity in my career to thoroughly explore the human condition as influenced by historical events.” 

In Rosen Gallery 2 & 3. Included with garden admission.

The premier annual exhibition of American figurative sculpture returns once again to Brookgreen Gardens. Featuring the work of American masters alongside rising stars, the National Sculpture Society’s annual awards exhibition presents the finest in contemporary figurative sculpture.  Visitors to Brookgreen Gardens will vote for their favorites to win the People’s Choice Award which is announced at the conclusion of the exhibit and the National Sculpture Society gives 17 awards.

In the Hoy and Mize Galleries of the Rosen Gallery. Included with Gardens admission.

The National Sculpture Society Annual Awards Exhibition is funded by the generous gifts of:

Exhibit Sponsors

Christy and Ken Taucher Donor Advised Fund of Central Carolina Community Foundation

Mary and Carl Colton

Mr. and Mrs. David D. Douglas, Sr.

Cheryl and Gregory Sprole

Stox and Co. – Salon, Spa, Boutique and

Stox and Co. Wellness Cottage

Annual Sponsors

The Curator’s Circle

Portraits of persons who once lived on the Brookgreen property and material culture of the Ward, Flagg, Allston, Alston, Weston, and Jordan families are featured in this long-term exhibit of art, decorative objects, and furnishings from Laurel Hill, Springfield, Brookgreen, and The Oaks.

Rosen Gallery 4. Included with admission.

Workshops for Children and Families (register and pay in advance)

May 15 -CANCELED- Light Sculptures with Bryan Rapp, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, Campbell Center Studio, $10 per child (must be accompanied by an adult). 

Create your own lighted sculpture using provided materials such as light sticks, water bottles, clear cups, and other items.

August 21 -- Foil Sculpture with Bryan Rapp, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, Campbell Center Studio, $10 per child (must be accompanied by an adult). 

Participants will create human and animal three-dimensional forms using provided materials such as aluminum foil and wire.

Register by telephone with Kay Filar, Curatorial Associate, at (843) 235-6034.

The Power and Beauty of the Female Figure, with Fall Sculptor in Residence Richard Blake, FNSS.

This workshop will stress the governing principles which facilitate sculptors creating a reclining and seated female figure. I will share my insights of the figure, the female anatomy, and the spotting of color to create a dynamic sculptural composition. Students will be encouraged to see and think of the body’s landscape in terms of juxtaposed forms, weights, rhythms, and balance in capturing the character and expression of the model. I’ll demonstrate the punctuation of lights and darks in creating a sculpture or, to quote Rodin: “The Art of the Hole and the Lump.”  The class will work from a live model.  These sessions will be augmented by illustrated lectures and hands-on demonstrations. Water-based clay will be used to construct an 18-inch female figure. Figure armature will be assembled in class with materials furnished by Brookgreen Gardens. $650 plus materials and model's fees.

Mr. Blake's fall residency at Brookgreen Gardens occurs November 8 - 19, 2021.

Richard Blake’s education in art started when he was nine years old.  He enrolled at the Samuel Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he studied drawing and painting.  At the age of fifteen, Blake changed from painting to sculpture and quickly became totally immersed in all facets of sculptural expression.  Later he competed and won a full scholarship to the Tyler School of Fine Arts.  While a student at Tyler, Blake was awarded the Stewardson Prize by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for his competence in figure modeling.  After graduation, he continued his studies independently in Europe and Central America.  Currently, Blake resides and works in the scenic Amish countryside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  He recently retired from West Chester University where he taught sculpture and life drawing.  Blake’s sculptures have been included in over 100 international and national exhibitions and are represented in many private collections and public outdoor commissions.  His work has received numerous honors and awards from the nation’s oldest and most venerated art institutions including the National Sculpture Society and the National Academy of Design.  He is a Fellow and a past-president of the National Sculpture Society.

For registration information, click here.

The red wolf is one of the most endangered canids in the world. The only place they are found in the wild is in Eastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. Join Brookgreen’s Andrea DeMuth, VP and Curator of Zoo Collections and Zookeeper, Caleb Dennis, as they share their knowledge of red wolves and Brookgreen’s involvement in the Species Survival Plan.

Limit 24 -  Included with Garden admission. CLASS IS FULL