Take a “road trip close to home” to a special garden that is just entering its golden season with elements from East Asia.
The Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem offers visitors a unique opportunity to center the body, mind and spirit.
Executive director Elizabeth Hammer said the walking garden should offer many different perspectives throughout.
It spreads over about 3 ½ acres of lush nature where visitors can understand nature on a deeper level.
“It’s designed so that you’re supposed to walk along the path, but there’s another path behind it, and it’s supposed to be like being out in the mountains, where you’re undisturbed by people and you just reconnect with nature,” Hammer said. “Eastern philosophy says that keeps the mind grounded in some way.”
The history of the garden dates back to the late 50s when Natalie Hammond lived there.
She traveled to Japan, which inspired her to design the garden with Japanese elements as a peaceful refuge.
The Hammond Museum houses a collection of works by artists from near and far.
The current exhibition aims to convey Eastern inspiration with modern contemporary East Asian and Asian American works on paper.
Visitors can see woodcuts, lithographs, etchings and more, all created by artists of Korean, Japanese and Chinese descent.
“It’s a very old and important art form, but it’s been largely overlooked, so I hope people find something new that interests them,” Hammer said.
As the seasons change, art and nature merge to create a beautiful touch of serenity and the garden is covered in golden foliage.
Numerous programs and events also aim to inform the public in different ways, such as the new School of Ceramic Art that will open on September 16th.
