Art at the Harbor Way Gardens
A Mother’s Day weekend event at Wrightsville Beach
BY Amanda Lisk
Come to Wrightsville Beach’s Harbor Way Gardens and stop and smell the roses on Mother’s Day weekend, May 8-9. That’s when the Witherspoon and Drift roses will be in full bloom, making it the perfect weekend for an event.
Presented by the Harbor Island Garden Club and Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation, the first ever Art at the Harbor Way Gardens will feature a plein air paint-out, garden exhibition, plant sale and benefit art show.
“Several of our committee members said, ‘Let’s do something, let’s have something to look forward to, something to bring joy to people, and let’s make it all about the roses,’” says Garden Club member Elise Running.
Representatives from Witherspoon Rose Culture and Five Oaks Nursery will host a rose, plant and herb sale. Floral creations designed by Garden Club members will be on display, and more than a dozen plein air artists are letting attendees observe them at work. The artists’ original pieces will be available for purchase at the benefit art sale on May 9 from 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
Plein air is the concept of painting outdoors in natural light instead of in a studio. Participating artists will have six days to work around the Wrightsville Beach area and then complete their paintings at Harbor Way Gardens.
“It’s a skill to capture changing light and scenery with abbreviated brush strokes,” says Star Sosa, a former local art gallery owner who coordinated the plein air artists for the event. “It’s looser, more impressionistic. People love seeing the artists outside and watch them in the process.”
The Harbor Island Garden Club is a not-for-profit federated club of the National Garden Club, established in 1952. The Art at Harbor Way Gardens will comply with state COVID-19 executive orders. Parking and the event are free.
The Harbor Way Gardens are located at 321 Causeway Drive on the grounds of the Wrightsville Beach Municipal Complex. Visit the Harbor Island Garden Club Facebook page for more information.
Mark your calendar for May 9th!
Watch plein air artists at work, and then purchase their creations at a benefit art sale. There will also be roses, plants and herbs for sale, and floral creations on display.