Boston Flora

Tag: Trinity Church

  • Tuesday, October 4, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens

    Gardens and Spirit: The Power of Landscapes to Transform, is a series offered by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Trinity Church in the City of Boston.  The first of this year’s lectures will take place Tuesday, October 4, from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Trinity Church in Copley Square.  Vaughn Sills, Associate Professor of Photography, Simmons College, and Lowry Pei, Professor of English at Simmons College, will speak on their new book,  Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens. Places for the Spirit is a stunning collection of over 80 documentary photographs of African American folk gardens — and their creators — in the Deep South (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina). These landscapes have a unique historical significance due to the design elements and spiritual meanings that have been traced to the yards and gardens of American slaves and further back to their prior African heritage. These deceptively casual or whimsical foliage arrangements are subtle and symbolic reminders of the divine in everyday life, the cycles of nature, and implied right and wrong ways to live. In the spirit of “outsider” art traditions, blues musical roots, and other such folk manifestations, these gardens have a unique aesthetic and cultural significance. Over 20 years in the making, this is the first collection of fine art photography to document this subject and, as such, it adds greatly to our understanding and appreciation of this disappearing element of African American culture. Fee is $15 for Arboretum members, $20 for non-members.  Register on-line at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/.

  • Tuesday, June 21, 5:30 pm – Summer Solstice Stroll

    The Friends of Copley Square invite you to the second annual Summer Solstice Stroll, a walking tour and celebration of Copley Square’s landmarks, on Tuesday, June 21, beginning at 5:30 pm.  A reception at The Courtyard Restaurant at the Boston Public Library is hosted by The Catered Affair. This is an exclusive opportunity to hear an illustrated talk by Henry N. Cobb, FAIA, architect of the John Hancock Tower an founding partner of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, on the design of the Tower with reference to the presence of Trinity Church and the evolution of Copley Square.  You will experience an insider’s view of the stained glass and enjoy an organ demonstration at Trinity Church.  You will visit the Civil War Exhibitions at the Boston Public Library, and hear a musical performance at Old South Church inspired by the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.  Following this array of events, you will be treated to a delicious light buffet supper hosted by The Fairmont Copley Plaza.

    The Summer Solstice Stroll benefits The Friends of Copley Square, which provides funding to assist the City of Boston with the preservation, maintenance, and beautification of Copley Square.  The Friends is a registered 501(c)3 organization.  Patriotic attire is encouraged.  $125 per person, or, at the sponsorship level, $175 per person (sponsorship will include a one year membership in The Friends of Copley Square.)  RSVP by June 17 at www.friendsofcopleysquare.org, or by mail to Friends of Copley Square, Post Office Box 170124, Boston, MA 02117-0084.  You may also telephone 617-536-2101, or email SolsticeStroll@gmail.com.

  • Wednesday, March 23, 7:00 pm – Sustainable Preservation – The Power of Preservation/Reuse as a Green Strategy

    Buildings account for nearly 40% of all U.S. energy use and carbon emissions. With one of the country’s leading preservation architects as your guide, the lecture entitled Sustainable Preservation – The Power of Preservation/Reuse as a Green Strategy will explore the power of adaptive reuse to reduce those numbers and move us toward sustainability.

    The talk by Jean Carroon on Wednesday, March 23, beginning at 7 pm at Trinity Church in Copley Square, will demonstrate how an icon such as H.H. Richardson’s Trinity Church in Boston can go green—and why a 1970s strip-mall supermarket not only deserves similar attention but can also emerge as a building that delights users while it protects the environment. Sustainable Preservation makes a compelling argument that preservation and sustainability don’t just protect the environment, but deliver a full range of societal benefits, from job creation to stronger social connection.

    Jean Carroon, FAIA, LEED® AP, is a principal in Goody Clancy’s highly regarded preservation practice, based in Boston. She has earned national recognition for her expertise in applying sustainable-design technology to historic buildings, including more than a dozen National Historic Landmarks. She has directed the adaptive reuse and preservation of signature buildings in a broad range of sectors, including educational, civic and cultural projects for clients such as Harvard University and the National Park Service. She is currently working on the renovation of more than 50 historic structures on the St. Elizabeth’s West Campus in Washington, which will become the home of the Department of Homeland Security.

    Tickets: $15 ($10 BSA and Trinity Church Members and students), available at sustainablepreservation.eventbrite.com, The Shop at Trinity (206 Clarendon Street) or by phone 617.536.0944 x217. Questions: Kathy Acerbo-Bachmann, 617.536.0944 x217 or kacerbobachmann@trinitychurchboston.org. Co-sponsored by Trinity Church and the Boston Society of Architects, with a book signing to follow the lecture.  This event was rescheduled from an earlier January date due to snow.

  • Thursday, April 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Earth is Our Garden: Are We Doing Our Best?

    Bill McKibben is perhaps one the most recognized defenders of our planet and chronicler of how we could better inhabit it. Twenty years ago, with his book, The End of Nature, Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about global warming. Those warnings went mostly unheeded. His latest book, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, is his latest plea for each of us to consider deeply how we tread upon this earth. Whether you are a person of faith, a gardener, or both, you’ll find a clear message of action, hope, and urgency in this Arnold Arboretum presentation on Thursday, April 7, beginning at 7 pm at Trinity Church, Copley Square, 206 Clarendon Street, offered with Trinity Church as part of Trinity’s Gardens and Spirit Lecture Series. Fee: $25 nonmember.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or you may purchase tickets at the Trinity Bookstore.

  • Wednesday, March 30, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Working with Stone: Creating a Connection with the Spirit of Place

    Rescheduled from February 1 due to snow. The gardener’s perspective is the perfect loci for seeking inward and reaching outward, for ordering the experience of time and space, and observing higher orders.  Dan Snow is a designer of outdoor spaces in stone, and an art maker specializing is dry stone constructions.  He is the author of In the Company of Stone and Listening to Stone—Hardy Structures, Perilous Follies, and Other Tangles with Nature and the subject of the PBS documentary Stone Rising.  Working solo to build garden walls and dry stone features, Master Craftsman Dan Snow finds that the most successful designs are born of an intimate relationship with the landscape and knowledge and understanding of the materials at hand. Dan’s presentation will examine the many uses of stone in the garden; how stone can support a garden design, or simply be the garden itself. Illustrated with images of his work, the presentation will also explore the “give and take” experience of working in nature, and the connection to spirit expressed through stone.  Book-signing to follow. Co-sponsored by Trinity Church and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.

    The lecture and reception will now take place Wednesday, March 30, beginning at 7 pm. Tickets $20 member, $25 non member, available at The Shop at Trinity (206 Clarendon Street, lower level), by phone (617.536.0944 x225) or online arboretum.harvard.edu. Questions: Kathy Acerbo-Bachmann, 617.536.0944 x217 or kacerbobachmann@trinitychurchboston.org.  The beautiful photo below of Dan Snow’s work in Vermont is by Peter Mauss.

  • Saturday, January 29, 11:00 am – Memorial Service for Marian Ullman

    On Saturday, January 29 at 11:00 am, a memorial service for Marian Ullman, a founder of The Garden Club of the Back Bay who passed away December 20, will be held at Trinity Church in Copley Square.  Contributions in Marian’s memory may be made to the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee through The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.  We invite all who knew Marian to the service, to remember her many accomplishments.

  • Tuesday, November 30, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Copley Square Holiday Tree Lighting

    Mayor Thomas M. Menino, The Boston Parks & Recreation Department, and The Friends of Copley Square will host the annual Copley Square Holiday Tree Lighting on Tuesday, November 30, from 5 – 6 pm.  The festive event will feature live entertainment, including The United States Air Force Brass Band Quintet, Trinity Church Choristers and Schola, Brian Jones and the Copley Singers, and holiday caroling.  The Old South Church bells will toll when the lights are turned on.  Santa will pay a special visit, and immediately following the tree lighting, The Copley Plaza will host a family reception for all in attendance.  The Garden Club of the Back Bay is pleased to announce its contribution of handmade bows to decorate the ArtsBoston kiosk.  Our volunteers will be in the Square decking the halls  November 26, if you’d like to stop by and say hello.  Visit www.friendsofcopleysquare.org to learn more about Copley Square.

  • Monday, June 21, 6:00 pm – Summer Solstice Stroll in Copley Square

    On Monday, June 21, beginning at 6 pm, join The Friends of Copley Square for the Summer Solstice Stroll in Copley Square, a guided tour of the landmarks of Copley Square.  Begin at Normandy Real Estate Partners’ Hancock Tower, then on to Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, and Old South Church, concluding at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.  Learn the history of the Square, listen to music, taste refreshments along the way, enjoy the splendid landmark buildings and institutions, then complete the evening with a light supper.  The Summer Solstice Stroll benefits The Friends of Copley Square, Inc., a not for profit friends group which provides funding to assist the City with the maintenance and beautification of the Square.  Festive business attire.  $100 per person.  You may purchase tickets online at http://friendsofcopleysquare.org prior to the June 17 deadline, or send a check made out to The Friends of Copley Square to 234 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116.  You may contact the Stroll Committee by email at  SolsticeStroll@gmail.com.

  • Thursday, June 3, 7:00 pm – Spirit of a New Garden

    The Arnold Arboretum and Trinity Church are pleased to present programs on the intersections of gardens, spirit, health, environment, and healing. On Thursday, June 3, at 7:00 pm, Dominique Browning will speak on the topic Spirit of a New Garden.

    For over a decade, Dominique Browning brought gardening expertise to readers around the country as editor-in-chief of House & Garden magazine. But one Monday morning in 2007, the magazine folded and she was told to pack up her office. She also packed up the house where she had raised two children and had lovingly tended her own garden. After losing the job that defined her and the garden that inspired her, Browning started to cultivate a new garden, beginning a journey of self-discovery and reinvention. Join Browning, author of Slow Love, as she shares how the spirit of a new garden helped her to love the unexpected, unanticipated life.

    Fee $20 Arboretum and Trinity members, $25 nonmember.  This lecture takes place at Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon Street in Copley Square, Boston.

    Register online at arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617.384.5277 (Arboretum) or 617.536.0944 x225 (The Shop at Trinity) to purchase tickets over the telephone. Questions? Contact Kathy Acerbo-Bachmann 617.536.0944 or by email at kacerbobachmann@trinitychurchboston.org.

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  • Tuesday, May 4, 7:00 pm – Garden: An Act of Faith

    The Fifth Lecture in Trinity Church’s Gardens and Spirit Series takes place Tuesday, May 4 beginning at 7 pm at Trinity Church, co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum.  Topher Delaney is a visionary and internationally celebrated artist and landscape designer who was diagnosed with breast cancer with lymph node involvement. Ms. Delaney made a pact with God. If she survived, she vowed she would devote her practice to helping others heal. Over the past twenty two years, Ms. Delaney has focused on creating designs of healing gardens for hospitals and sanctuaries for both residential and business clients. She creates highly individualized private gardens, conceived as places of retreat and healing. She believes “gardens are sanctuaries, hallowed places of personal retreat.”

    “Everything I do, whether for a hospital, a business, or a residence, is about comfort, healing, and faith,” said Delaney. “When I was beginning my career, landscape design appealed to me as a form of sculpture and as a way of showing my commitment to the environment. It seemed to be the perfect combination of art and civic responsibility. What I have realized along the way is the tremendous power gardens can have on people’s psyches.”

    Her practice, SEAM Studio, has evolved from a traditional landscape architectural practice to an atelier, which serves as a venue for the investigation of cultural, social and artistic narratives “seamed” together to form dynamic physical installations. Sites range in scale from intimate to expansive, from private residences and sanctuary gardens for medical facilities to corporate rooftop gardens and large-scale public art installations, including the Isaac Espinoza Memorial garden, a tribute to the San Francisco policeman and a “nave of light” installation at the University of San Francisco entrance plaza. Gardens specially created for the Marin Cancer Center and the San Diego Childrens Hospital demonstrate the palpably healing character of her creations. Delaney has received numerous awards and honors for her achievements in the realms of both landscape design and public art. Her work focusing on the garden as sanctuary has been published in the New York Times, Gardens Illustrated, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Metropolitan Home and Design Quarterly. She is currently featured in Paradise Transformed: Gardens of the 21st Century.

    Tickets are $25 each, $20 for members of Trinity/Arboretum, and may be purchased at The Shop at Trinity, 206 Clarendon Street in Boston, by telephone at 617-536-0944, x 217, or online at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.  For more information, contact kathy Acerbo-Bachmann at the above telephone number or by email at kacerbobachman@trinitychurchboston.org.

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