Calendar of Events and Exhibitions

Smith on Wry: Jack Smith, Columnist for our Times, Feb. 15, 2008 - May 12, 2008, Library, West Hall

The Legacy of Wallace Neff Feb. 9, 2008 - May 12, 2008, Virginia Steele Scott Gallery - Drawing Cabinet

Upcoming Exhibitions (working titles & dates subject to change)

This Side of Paradise: Body and Landscape in L.A. Photographs, June 14, 2008 - Sept. 15, 2008, Boone Gallery and Library West Hall

Darwin's Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure, Oct. 4, 2008 - Jan. 5, 2009, Library, West Hall

A “New and Native” Beauty: The Art and Craft of Greene & Greene, Oct. 18, 2008 - Jan. 26, 2009, Boone Gallery

Events & Programs

Ongoing Programs

Discovery Carts for Kids
Saturdays, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Kids of all ages can explore the world of nature every Saturday at The Huntington. “Discovery Carts” located at the Lily Ponds and in the Japanese Garden welcome budding young botanists with a variety of hands-on learning activities. On the first Saturday of each month, Nature Crafts are also offered near the Entrance Pavilion. No reservations required. Free with museum admission (children under 5 enter free). Activities are subject to cancellation without notice due to inclement weather or volunteer availability.

Free Daily Garden Tours
(except Mondays and first Thursday of month)
Free tours of the gardens are available with general admission or membership. Tours are offered Tuesday through Friday between noon and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Times vary depending on volunteer availability; please check in at the Information Desk on arrival for the day's schedule of garden tours. Sorry, these free tours cannot be reserved in advance. For more tour options, including Estate Tours and the popular Tea & Tour, see Tours

Public Programs

Architecture and Furniture in a Chinese Garden
May 6 (Tuesday) 7:30 p.m.
A Chinese garden is a living space equipped with architecture and furniture. Sarah Handler, author of Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture, will explore how these two arts function in the garden, merging with nature to create a unique world. Free. Friends’ Hall

Garden Talk: “Our Favorite Things”

May 8 (Thursday) 2:30 p.m.

Botanical staff members and volunteers will share their favorite picks from among the vast selection of plants at this year’s Annual Spring Plant Sale, coming up on May 18. (Note: there will not be a sale after this talk.) Free. Friends’ Hall

Engineering Hetch-Hetchy: Dams, Techniques, and Politics in Progressive-Era California
May 8 (Thursday) 7:30 p.m.

Trent Dames Lecture

Bruce Sinclair, past president of the Society for the History of Technology, will discuss the construction of the Hetch-Hetchy Dam in Yosemite National Park in the early 1900s and how, through the efforts of opponents such as John Muir and the newly created Sierra Club, it became a rallying cry for the national environmental movement. Free. Friend’s Hall

Morning Bird Walk

May 10 (Saturday) 8–10 a.m.
In honor of the late Los Angeles Times columnist and avid bird-watcher, Jack Smith, members of the Audubon Society will lead a morning bird walk in the gardens. Binoculars recommended. Space is limited. Reservations: nrussell@huntington.org or 626-405-2125.

Medieval Peasants Revisited

May 16–17 (Friday–Saturday) 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

In response to a resurgence of interest among historians in the subject of medieval peasantry, an international group of scholars will examine the peasant experience—agrarian, economic, and social—from a wide variety of perspectives. $25. Registration: skrasnoo@huntington.org or 626-405-3432.

34th Annual Spring Plant Sale

May 17 (Saturday) – Members’ Sale

May 18 (Sunday) – Public Sale

10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Don’t miss The Huntington’s outstanding annual sale. more...

Youth Concert

May 18 (Sunday) 1:30–3:30 p.m.

Young musicians from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts will perform a concert of classical and contemporary works. Free. Friends’ Hall

Chamber Music Concert

May 20 (Tuesday) 8 p.m.

Camerata Pacfica will perform works by Mozart, Grieg, and Schumann. Tickets and program details: www.cameratapacifica.org or 800-557-2224.

Moguls, Millionaires, and Movie Stars: Hollywood Between the Wars, 1920–1940

May 30–31 (Friday–Saturday) 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

The Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, together with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is sponsoring a two-day conference examining Hollywood between the two World Wars. $50. (Graduate students: $25.)

Registration: kmatsuna@usc.edu or 800-200-5566.

Garden Talk and Plant Sale: Ferns for the Home and Garden
June 12 (Thursday) 2:30 p.m.
Steve Morgan, curator of the University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens, will share his expertise on the best ferns for Southern California gardens and how to use them to advantage in the landscape. A plant sale follows the program. Free. Friends’ Hall

Arabella Huntington: Her Passion for Collecting and the Burgeoning of an International Art Network

French Art Series

June 19 (Thursday) 6:30 p.m.

Shelley M. Bennett, senior research associate at The Huntington, will present the fourth and final lecture in the French art series, discussing how Arabella Huntington’s passion for collecting, honed by years of decorating fashionable residences in America and France, provides fascinating insight into the rise of the mega-collector and the international art dealer in America circa 1900. Wine reception at 5:45. Free. Friends’ Hall

This Side of Paradise: Body and Landscape in L.A. Photographs

June 21 (Saturday) 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

A one-day symposium including artists, writers, curators, and academics will explore the current exhibition’s themes of landscape, body, and regional artistic practice as they relate to the long history of Los Angeles photography. $10. Registration: skrasnoo@huntington.org or 626-405-3432.

Cactus & Succulent Show and Sale
June 28–29 (Saturday–Sunday) 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Preview plant sale Friday, June 27, noon–4:30 p.m.

Hundreds of award-winning plants will be on view as the Cactus and Succulent Society of America presents its annual show and sale. Many rare plants from around the world will be showcased, including specimens native to Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Botswana, Madagascar, and the Middle East. Free. Friends’ Hall

Continuing Education

Digital Rose Photography
May 18 (Sunday) 1 p.m.
Learn how to take better digital photographs of roses and other flowers in this workshop taught by commercial horticultural photographer Syl Arena. Participants can submit up to five of their own photos for classroom discussion on how to improve technique and avoid some of the most common mistakes. Members: $25. Non-Members: $30. Registration: 626-405-3507 or cmartin@huntington.org.

Painting with Nan Rae

May 21 & June 18 (Wednesdays)

11 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Artist Nan Rae, author of The Ch’i of the Brush, continues her popular watercolor classes inspired by the art of Chinese brush painting. Each session: $50. Registration: 818-842-6489.

The Wines of Spain

May 21 (Wednesday) 5–7:30 p.m. FILLED*

Join Brad Owen from the California School of Culinary Arts for an in-depth lecture and tasting focusing on the wines of Spain, and discover why they are considered to be among the greatest wines in the world. Members: $75. Non-Members: $85. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Architectural Drawing

May 24 & 31 (Saturdays) 9 a.m.–noon

Using the newly renovated Huntington Art Gallery as inspiration, artist Melissa Manfull will teach students basic drawing and perspective techniques as they create architectural sketches of the Beaux-Arts villa and the surrounding gardens. Members: $85. Non-Members: $95. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Cooking with Lavender

May 24 (Saturday) 10 a.m.–noon
Cook up some delicious recipes—including lavender margaritas—in this class with instructor Gail Herndon. You'll also learn how to grow, cultivate, and harvest culinary lavender, and determine which varieties have the characteristics you want for your garden or kitchen. Members: $60. Non-Members: $70. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Flower Arranging: Spring Bulb Flowers in Parallel Form

May 31 (Saturday) 10 a.m.–noon

Casey Schwartz and Kit Wertz of Flower Duet will lead this class in creating a "parallel form" arrangement of tulips, daffodils, and other spring flowers grown from bulbs. This design emphasizes straight lines without allowing stems to cross. Participants will take home their own gorgeous arrangements. Members: $75. Non-Members: $85. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Cooking with Roses

June 7 (Saturday) 10 a.m.–noon

Long before roses were prized for their beauty, they were valued for their sweet flavor. In this hands-on cooking class with instructor Gail Herndon, learn about the edible history of this much-loved flower and create rose concoctions and confections to enhance any meal. Members: $60. Non-Members: $70. Registration: 626-405-2128.

The Art of the Miniature

June 7, 14, 21 (Saturdays) 9 a.m.–noon

Join artist Sylvana Barrett for a three-session workshop in the art of miniature painting. Learn traditional techniques working with parchment and raw pigments, and discover why 16th-century artist Nicholas Hilliard described these delicate portraits as “a thing apart…which exelleth all other painting.” Some painting experience recommended.

Members: $195. Non-Members: $215. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Beginning and Intermediate Botanical Watercolors

June 7, 14, 21 (Saturdays) 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. FILLED*

Learn or improve your skills in botanical watercolor in this class led by botanical artist Lisa Pompelli. Roses, kangaroo paws, and eucalyptus specimens from the garden will provide inspiration. Prior drawing experience is strongly recommended. Members: $195. Non-Members: $215. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Collection Connection: Drawn to Flowers

June 10 & 17 (Tuesdays) 12:30–3:30 p.m.

Explore techniques for botanical illustration with artists Tania Marien and Deborah Shaw in this two-session drawing course. The first session meets at the Getty Center in Brentwood for studio exercises and in-gallery sketching, and the second session takes place in the lab and gardens at The Huntington. The class complements the Getty exhibition "Maria Sibylla Merian & Daughters: Women of Art and Science." Registration: $45. Call 310-440-7300.

The Aesthetics of Japanese Art

June 12 (Thursday) 6:30 p.m.
Japanese culture has more than a single artistic sensibility: a wide variety of aesthetics have evolved over the centuries in response to different influences. The Imperial Court, Zen tea masters, wealthy samurai warriors, merchants, courtesans, and even foreigners have all helped shape Japanese style through their patronage. Meher McArthur, former curator of east Asian art at Pacific Asia Museum, will present a slide lecture that explores this fascinating evolution. Members: $10. Non-Members: $15. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Wines of Germany and Austria

June 18 (Wednesday) 5 – 7:30 p.m. FILLED*

Germany’s wines are some of the most exciting in the world, with a delicate balance of sweetness and acidity that makes them the ultimate summer drinking experience. Join Brad Owen from the California School of Culinary Arts for an in-depth lecture and tasting, exploring the wines of Germany and its southern neighbor, Austria. Members: $75. Non-Members: $85. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Flower Arranging: Recreating a Still Life Painting

June 21 (Saturday) 10 a.m.–noon

Inspired by the still-life compositions of 16th-century Dutch masters, participants will compose their own masterpieces through the art of floral design, working with roses, delphiniums, and other seasonal flowers in this workshop led by Casey Schwartz and Kit Wertz of Flower Duet. Members: $75. Non-Members: $85. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Curator Tour: The Huntington Art Gallery

June 26 (Thursday) 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. FILLED*

Once the home of Henry and Arabella Huntington, the Huntington Art Gallery contains one of the most distinguished specialized collections in the country. Join Melinda McCurdy, associate curator of European art, for a private tour of the newly reopened gallery and gain fresh insight into this historic landmark and its collections. Members: $15. Non-Members: $20. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Children & Families

Huntington Explorers 2008

Have you registered yet for the Huntington Explorers? This popular summer camp for kids returns July 28–Aug. 15. Check online for class schedules and availability. But hurry! Classes are filling up fast. (Sorry, no phone or walk-in registration.)

* If class is FILLED, you may request to be put on a waiting list by calling the registration number for that class.

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The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 Tel: 626-405-2100
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