I only knew the nonprofit Garden Conservancy for its hundreds of Open Day events throughout the U.S. That’s until I got an email inviting me to the “world premiere” of a documentary produced by the Conservancy – news to me!
And it’s not their first. You can watch their film about New York’s Blithewood Garden here, a “woodland sanctuary” in Alabama here, and a very short film about a Japanese stroll garden here. All thanks to the Suzanne and Frederic Rheinstein Fund for Documentary Films, a “groundbreaking Garden Conservancy initiative envisioned by the late Suzanne Rheinstein to use film to capture the essence of gardens and their historical significance.” Good for her!
Their latest documentary, which premiered last Sunday at the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture, is “Earth, I Thank you. The Garden and Legacy of Anne Spencer.” Click here or in the screen shot above to watch the trailer. The whole 35-minute film will be available on the Conservancy’s website in a few months, after it’s been screened at various film festivals.
Meet Anne Spencer
Anne and Edward and grandchildren, late 1920s. Courtesy of Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum, Inc.
From the press release:
The 35-minute film explores the historic sanctuary of Harlem Renaissance poet, teacher, librarian, civil rights advocate, and gardener Anne Spencer (1882-1975), and celebrates the cultural and historical significance of the Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum in Lynchburg, VA.
The Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum offers a glimpse into the life of one of the most influential figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Spencer’s beloved garden was an oasis where she wrote much of her poetry, drawing inspiration and insights from the natural beauty surrounding her. It was also a vibrant gathering place, welcoming luminaries and civil rights leaders including Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston, Thurgood Marshall, George Washington Carver, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The home and garden are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register, ensuring their preservation for future generations. By documenting the beauty and significance of Spencer’s garden, Earth, I Thank You honors the profound connection between gardens, history, and community.
James Brayton Hall, President and CEO of the Garden Conservancy, calls the garden “a powerful example of why gardens matter. From the moment I first stepped into it, I knew it was remarkable. We’ve been proud to champion its preservation since 2008, and to help ensure that her legacy as a gardener, poet, and advocate continues to educate and inspire.”
Anne Spencer Pond, courtesy of The Garden Conservancy
As shown in the film, the garden is indeed wonderful, especially imagining it filled with such luminaries as Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall – or the trellis!
But the film (by Udris Film) includes far more than the garden – with interviews of historians, family members and others who could attest to Spencer’s impact. The full house for the premiere included dozens of Spencer family members; imagine their pride in Spencer, the film, and the site for the premiere.
Changes at the Smithsonian
Times have changed since this beloved and critically acclaimed museum opened in 2016, when I took this photo. I hadn’t visited since then, and I’d never seen the Oprah Winfrey Theater, where the film was screened and panel discussion took place on the stage. So what a treat to be invited to cover the event!
Then a few days before the premiere I received an email saying that I wouldn’t be allowed to take photos, interview anyone, or otherwise act as “press.” Instead, I would be given photos and quotes to use in my reporting. (I was sent the press release, with three photos, two of which you see above.)
Further, I learned that all public events in all Smithsonian museums are similarly off-limits to press. So the directive isn’t about this film or even this museum – it’s much more. And much more concerning. Especially so coming the same week as reports and more reports of important historical items (including the iconic Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, NC) being removed from the museum. (Update: this article describes the larger pattern.)
Which contributed to the mix of emotions I felt that day at the Museum of African American History and Culture – happy to see Anne Spencer’s home and gardens preserved and Spencer immortalized as an important figure in history, but dreading the next news story about American history being selectively censored from museums, books, universities and who knows where next.
Okay, now that I’m off the topic of gardening, I’ll add that I was personally notified of one more presidential action this week – that as part of the declassification of JFK and MLK assassination files, I was one of the 400+ former congressional staffers who’d been doxxed. That news came to me in a letter from the National Archives, and thanks only to press coverage did I figure out that it was because I’d worked for the Church Committee that investigated the intelligence community. Like over 100 of us, I’d had my Social Security number, et cetera made public.
Yeah, not good. But my many friends who are federal employees, some who have lost their jobs already and the many who are in fear of losing theirs, help me keep this inconvenience in perspective. I’m so lucky to be retired.
Thanks for posting this story, as a member of the Conservatory I was aware of the screening and worried it wouldn’t be allowed to go forward. That said it is horrifying this erasure of culture continues. Sorry for your personal issue with outing your information. All the best
A fascinating insight into African American history via a literary woman gardener of the Harlem Renaissance and current fears of racial cultural censorship. I never knew about the Garden Conservancy of America. All interesting to a Brit like me. I look forward to seeing the film.
This is outrageous. I will contact my Representative and Senators. If people want to send letters to the members of the Museum Council (who I doubt backed this) their names are here https://nmaahc.si.edu/about/leadership
Susan, I enjoyed your story and the film trailer very much. I first read about Anne Spencer in Camille Dungy’s “Soil: The Story of A Black Mother’s Garden.” I knew nothing, before then, about Anne Spencer who lived and gardened in segregated Lynchburg, Virginia—one of the “satellites of the Harlem Renaissance.” You shed more light on her influence and life. The Garden Conservancy deserves credit for reaching out for the “full history of American gardening.”
Both of the articles you linked to about the removal of the lunch counter from the Smithsonian state that claims of its removal were totally false.
Moved from the African American Museum. Breaking up/dispersing the collection hasn’t been denied. Not that I’d believe any administration denial or suggest that others believe them,.
This article provides the bigger picture. “Trump in March signed an order maintaining that the Smithsonian Institution is being influenced by a “divisive, race-centered ideology.” The order specifically describes the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which Trump once praised, as being “oppressive,” and it empowers Vice President JD Vance to review all Smithsonian programs and centers and remove what the president calls “improper ideology from such properties.” Source, with examples from elsewhere: https://capitalbnews.org/trump-smithsonian-tubman-dei-order-erases-black-history/
Susan, thank you for letting us know about this fantastic documentary. I look forward to seeing it in person if it comes to the Dallas area or online. I share your concern regarding what should be apolitical government agencies. Only autocracies tell the press what to write. SAD!