August 13, 2023 – ChaddsFordLive.com

Book release: ‘Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley’

DuPont book — Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley

Longwood Gardens has announced the release of “Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley”, a new book featuring photographs by Larry Lederman and text by Marta McDowell. The book explores the rich history and unique attributes of five former du Pont estates that have become cultural landmarks in the Brandywine Valley, including Hagley Museum and Library, Nemours Estate, Mt. Cuba Center, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, and Longwood Gardens. The hardcover book retails for $60 and is available now on-site at Longwood’s Garden Shop and online at shop.longwoodgardens.org/product/dupont-gardens-of-the-brandywine/.

Published by Monacelli, Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley features 240 pages and 220 stunning photographs. The book opens with a preface by Lederman that details his personal experience with the gardens, an introductory essay by Charles A. Birnbaum, President and CEO of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, who writes about the du Pont landscape legacy, and a chapter dedicated to the du Pont heritage of horticulture and stewardship. McDowell, a garden writer who combines a deep knowledge of garden design and horticulture with a penchant for social history, contributed to the book’s thoughtful text, relating the stories of these gardens, both their history and their commitment to the future through strategies for sustainable management and growth.

“The Brandywine Valley is home to some of the most spectacular gardens in the world and so much of that beauty is owed to the thoughtful vision of the du Pont family who created and preserved these estates for all to enjoy,” said Paul B. Redman, President and CEO of Longwood Gardens. “We are delighted to join these other great gardens in celebrating the release of this new book. The inspiring stories by Marta McDowell coupled with the beautiful images by Larry Lederman make this book an inspiring read for garden lovers, landscape designers, and horticulturists.”

To celebrate the launch of the new book, a book signing and lecture will be held at Winterthur Museum, Garden, & Library on Sunday, October 1 at 1pm. McDowell will share stories and histories of the gardens, while Lederman will describe his approach and experience photographing these beautiful places throughout the seasons. A selection of photos from the book will be on display. Tickets for the lecture only or including the lecture and a signed copy of the book, are available now on the Winterthur website.

Since arriving in America in 1800, the descendants of the du Pont family have made their mark as innovative industrialists, generous philanthropists, pioneering preservationists, collectors of American decorative arts, and ecological stewards of natural environments. Longwood’s own legacy finds its beginning interwoven with the du Pont family’s passion for nature and preservation. In 1906, industrialist Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954) purchased a small farm near Kennett Square, PA, to save a collection of historic trees from being sold for lumber. Through that act of preservation, Longwood Gardens was born. In Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley, readers can view the iconic landscapes of one of the world’s great horticultural displays and its 1,100 acres of dazzling gardens, woodlands, meadows, fountains, and grand conservatory.

Lederman’s vivid photographs exquisitely capture the beauty and spirit of each place, moving through the seasons and the day from dawn to dusk. With an individual chapter dedicated to each garden, readers will travel to the naturalized woodland at Winterthur, the Beaux-Arts elegance of Nemours, the striking ruins atop ruins of the Crowninshield Garden at Hagley, and the picturesque native plant gardens and scenic trails of Mt. Cuba Center.

Book release: ‘Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley’ Read More »

Rabbinic Reflections: Holy shrines and standing ovations

It is not easy to make room for God in today’s world. Distractions, divisions, and drudgery are in opposition to awe and wonder. With mixed messages about the possibilities of the future, the present fills with work and stress, pushing aside recovery and gratitude. There are moments when it may be easy to feel blessed or to offer thanks, but too often those moments do not abide long enough to feel God with us.

In welcoming the Jewish Sabbath last week, I was struck by an insight of the 16th-century mystics who developed much of what Friday night services look like in the Jewish world. At the end of the 15th century, the Jewish world was turned upside down by Inquisitions. A world of poetic, philosophical, and scientific exchange with Muslim and Christian neighbors became a world of persecution, exile, and isolation. In that difficult space, Rabbi Isaac Luria and others drew on the Jewish spiritual tradition. They imagined Shabbat as a wedding between God and the Jewish people, dressing in white, and walking out of doors to offer greetings to the Sabbath Bride (God). They, who had so many reasons to turn away from God, went and brought God in.

(AI image generated through craiyon.com)

What made me realize that their devotions were from a place of pain? I always knew the history; but when thinking through the liturgy and practices, I would somehow forget the context. Last week, though, I could not forget. Last week, before services started someone shared that they had a hard week and thought synagogue might help. Last week, I was thinking about someone else who was struggling and found help in a crowd.

Last week, Kabalat Shabbat (literally, receiving the Sabbath) — the service on Friday night created by those mystics — felt like a standing ovation. The very idea of going out to receive Shabbat, especially when God’s presence has felt negative or absent, felt parallel to the effort by Phillies fans to lift up Trea Turner during his slump. Both efforts more than worked.

Not only has Trea Turner improved immensely over the homestand that started that Friday, but the whole team has also been boosted. The folks who attended services with me that Friday, all of us felt better about our week having spent time making room for God and each other. It reminds me of Exodus 25:8 where God tells Moses, “Let them make me a Holy-Shrine that I may dwell amidst them.” Everett Fox chooses “Holy-Shrine” as a translation of mikdash (“caused to be holy”) rather than sanctuary to make clear it is less about a physical space. The text nods to the importance of not being focused on the place since God indicates God will dwell amidst them, the Israelites, not it, the sanctuary. So, too, a standing ovation makes room for holiness and for the Divine to dwell among people connected to one another.

I happened to be at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night, Aug. 9, when the Phillies made history again and again. After the game, I watched the replay on tv. Being at the Bank was much louder and much more moving. The fans, myself included, were overjoyed for Wes Wilson when he hit a homerun in his first at bat. Ditto for Nick Castellanos hitting his 199th and 200th career homeruns. And every out of the seventh and eighth inning and every strike of the ninth inning pitched by Mike Lorenzen was greeted with cheers that increased in volume. I lost my voice, and I found my soul screaming. Lorenzen said the “fans are a part of the team.” I believe more than ever in the power of being a fan, of my team, of my people, and of God. Being part of a fan base willing to give a standing ovation, even or especially when things are bad, is like making a Holy-Shrine; that is when God dwells in us.