The Garden Conservancy: ‘Earth, I Thank You…’ Doc on Anne Spencer @ Landcraft Gardens, 8.1 + The Church, 8.29

Documentary Film Premieres on Long Island’s East End
Earth, I Thank You: The Garden and Legacy of Anne Spencer

Landcraft Gardens in Mattituck on Saturday, August 1
The Church in Sag Harbor on Saturday, August 29

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Garden Conservancy’s documentary film Earth, I Thank You: The Garden and Legacy of Anne Spencer, which explores the historic sanctuary of Harlem Renaissance poet, civil rights advocate, and gardener Anne Spencer, will premiere on the East End of Long Island this August. The film had its world premiere at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture and its New York Premiere at The Frick Collection.

On Saturday, August 1 at 6:30 p.m., the film will be shown at Landcraft Gardens in Mattituck. James Brayton Hall, President and CEO of the Garden Conservancy, will introduce the film, which will be followed with readings by State Poet of New York Kimiko Hahn and Suffolk County Poet Laureate Chip Williford. For more information, visit Landcraft Garden Foundation.

On Saturday, August 29, at 3 p.m., The Church in Sag Harbor’s presentation will include appearances by Brent Leggs, the President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the poet Kevin Young, 2026 Griffin Poetry Prize recipient and National Book Critics Circle Awardee, both of whom are featured in the film and who will reflect on the legacy and contributions of Anne Spencer as well as gardens in African American culture. For more information, visit The Church.

The 37-minute documentary celebrates the cultural and historical significance of the Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum in Lynchburg, VA. It is rare for a historic house and garden to survive intact—especially one belonging to an African American.

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.

Earth, I Thank You traces the evolution of the property from a personal retreat to a nationally significant cultural landscape. The home and garden are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register, ensuring their preservation for future generations. View the trailer at gardenconservancy.org/films.

The artist and Garden Conservancy board member Kate Cordsen is Executive Producer of the documentary. The documentary is made possible by 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.

The legacy of Anne Spencer’s garden
Spencer’s garden is one of the most significant examples of a preserved African American garden in the United States. A modest and deeply personal space, the garden is imbued with stories of civil rights advocacy, literary genius, the joy of family and the many historic figures who walked its paths. It was here that Anne Spencer created her poetry and where she and her husband Edward Spencer spent time with their family and connected with some of the most important intellectuals and activists of their time. The garden features a sculpture given to Spencer by W. E. B. Du Bois.

“She writes that this garden was half her world, and it really was half her world,” Shaun Spencer-Hester observes during the film, speaking from her grandmother’s garden in Lynchburg. “She couldn’t vote. She was a black woman who was very vocal here in this city. It was a place that she used to come to write, and to garden, but also to escape—to get away from the things that were going on outside of this garden gate.”

“Through documentary film, we can preserve the ephemeral nature of a garden, and capture the sensory experience of visiting these living works of art. We can also capture the remarkable voices of the garden’s creators and stewards,” said James Brayton Hall, President and CEO of the Garden Conservancy. “Anne Spencer’s garden is extraordinarily important in helping us share a broad and diverse range of American gardening stories. We hope this film inspires further understanding of Spencer’s exceptional legacy, and the value of preserving such a significant space.”

The Garden Conservancy

The Garden Conservancy is a non-profit organization that preserves, shares, and celebrates America’s gardens and diverse gardening traditions. Based in Greenwich, CT, it works nationally to protect gardens of horticultural, historical, and design significance. Since its founding in 1989, it has helped ensure the survival of more than 100 public gardens. The Garden Conservancy’s signature program, Open Days, is the largest private garden visiting initiative in the U.S., and since 1995, more than 4,000 gardens have participated, with 1.4 million visitors in 41 states. The Garden Conservancy has produced numerous documentary films and film shorts, highlighting gardens as cultural landscapes and living works of art. Lectures, tours, symposia, and webinars offer engaged exploration of environmental, cultural, and historical issues. Through all of its programs and outreach, the Conservancy champions the vital role that gardens play in our history, our culture, and our quality of life.

For more information, please visit gardenconservancy.org.

—————————–

=======================================================