ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER OBSERVES NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAY
In honor of National Public Gardens Day, on May 9, 2014, the Atlanta History Center opens to the public its gardens and the traveling exhibition Following in the Bartrams’ Footsteps: Contemporary Botanical Artists Explore the Bartrams’ Legacy. In addition to free admission to these portions of the Atlanta History Center, the Historic Gardens and the Cherokee Garden Library staff provide complimentary guided tours of the gardens and exhibition. Docent led tours give visitors a better understanding of the role the Bartram family played in the discovery and documentation of the colonial American Southeast as well as the history of many plants that continue to grow in Georgia generations after the explorers’ travels.
The American Society of Botanical Artists’ nationally traveling exhibition, Following in the Bartrams’ Footsteps, hosted by the Cherokee Garden Library at the Atlanta History Center, presents world-class botanical artworks depicting plants discovered and introduced by John Bartram (1699-1777) and his son, William (1739-1823). A companion display in the gallery features holdings from the Cherokee Garden Library and the Atlanta History Center’s collections, including historic books, objects an 18th-century explorer would have carried, and artifacts of Native American culture.
Docent led tours of the exhibition, held at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm, further explain how and why the Bartrams journeyed through the unchartered and undocumented American wilderness. Visitors learn not only about the Bartrams as individuals, but also about how the Bartrams’ books and drawings have inspired and continue to influence explorers and botanical artists.
As visitors walk through the Mary Howard Gilbert Memorial Quarry Garden they learn more about plants featured in the artwork displayed in the exhibition. Ten panels located along the pathways in the garden juxtapose images from the gallery with the flora in its natural habitat to help visitors discover how these plants relate to the Bartrams’, their uses, their ornamental features, and how they can be grown at home.
Guided tours of the Mary Howard Gilbert Memorial Quarry Garden meet at the entrance to the garden by the arbor, near McElreath Hall, and begin at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. A special tour of the Swan House Gardens meets by the staircase on the column side of the Swan House and begins at noon. Docent led tours provide a closer look at plants highlighted from the exhibition. Stops along the tour include the beautiful bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, which William Bartram once witnessed being carved into large Seminole warrior canoes, and the Georgia state champion Franklin tree, Franklinia alatamaha, arguably one of the most important discoveries made by the Bartrams along the banks of the Altamaha River.
Following in the Bartrams’ Footsteps was organized by the American Society of Botanical Artists at the New York Botanical Garden in collaboration with Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. Local lead sponsors are Lee and Mike Dunn, Harry Norman, Realtors, and the Mimosa Garden Club.
ABOUT THE CHEROKEE GARDEN LIBRARY:
Founded by the Cherokee Garden Club of Atlanta, the Cherokee Garden Library, one of the special subject libraries of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center, opened in 1975 to serve as an educational resource center for those interested in gardening, landscape design, garden history, horticulture, floral design, botanical art, cultural landscapes, natural landscapes, and plant ecology. Over 28,000 books, photographs, manuscripts, seed catalogs, and landscape drawings are included in the Cherokee Garden Library collection. Serving over 6,000 researchers annually, these rare and valuable resources tell the story of American horticulture and botanical history in the Southeastern United States and areas of influence throughout America, Europe, and Asia. While the collection is a focal point, the Garden Library also attracts a community of people who enjoy the year-round calendar of lectures, exhibitions, tours, and collaborations with partner agencies. For information about the Cherokee Garden Library, call 404.814.4046 or visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/CherokeeGardenLibrary.
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