Wild Knoll Foundation Garden is a living artwork where a house once stood. This footprint garden is built to the scale of the house where the writer May Sarton lived and worked for decades, keeping the tending of her terrace gardens central to her creative life as documented in her journal style book, the House by the Sea.
Artist Carly Glovinski conceived of this work in 2021, while in residence at Surf Point, after encountering the overgrown terrace and plantings of Sarton's former home.
Glovinski created a new garden based on the architectural drawings of the former house on its original site. Each "room" in the garden is constructed from 2x4s, the same material used to build house walls, and features a unique color scheme. Each plant was carefully selected for its hardiness, drought resistance, and animal tolerance, as well as its specific bloom times. The project also involved restoring the existing terrace gardens.
The work is a blend of environmental art, community engagement, and historical tribute. It serves as a dialogue, a negotiation, and a celebration of a particular place—its past and its future. The garden is a contemplation on humanity's bond with nature and a reflection on time, dedication, and resilience, both for the artist and for nature itself.
Today, the garden exists as a gathering place for the Surf Point residents, a support system for insects and wildlife, and now, a new stage for activations by other artists. Glovinski continues to regularly tend the garden, seeing it as a dynamic, evolving sanctuary that fosters community involvement and creative exploration while reflecting the rhythms and sensory richness of the natural world.
Artist Carly Glovinski conceived of this work in 2021, while in residence at Surf Point, after encountering the overgrown terrace and plantings of Sarton's former home.
Glovinski created a new garden based on the architectural drawings of the former house on its original site. Each "room" in the garden is constructed from 2x4s, the same material used to build house walls, and features a unique color scheme. Each plant was carefully selected for its hardiness, drought resistance, and animal tolerance, as well as its specific bloom times. The project also involved restoring the existing terrace gardens.
The work is a blend of environmental art, community engagement, and historical tribute. It serves as a dialogue, a negotiation, and a celebration of a particular place—its past and its future. The garden is a contemplation on humanity's bond with nature and a reflection on time, dedication, and resilience, both for the artist and for nature itself.
Today, the garden exists as a gathering place for the Surf Point residents, a support system for insects and wildlife, and now, a new stage for activations by other artists. Glovinski continues to regularly tend the garden, seeing it as a dynamic, evolving sanctuary that fosters community involvement and creative exploration while reflecting the rhythms and sensory richness of the natural world.
Collaborators:
2021-2023 Acadia Tucker, Regenerative Farmer and Author - initial planning and planting
2023-2024 Elizabeth Brown, Master Gardener and Author- tending and consultation
Invited Artist Activations
Curated by Carly Glovinski, in collaboration with the artists.
2024 Tory Fair
2025 Phaan Howng
2021-2023 Acadia Tucker, Regenerative Farmer and Author - initial planning and planting
2023-2024 Elizabeth Brown, Master Gardener and Author- tending and consultation
Invited Artist Activations
Curated by Carly Glovinski, in collaboration with the artists.
2024 Tory Fair
2025 Phaan Howng
