31 May Brookgreen Gardens lights up summer nights with stunning exhibition Summer nights on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast are always extraordinary, but an exhibition at Brookgreen Gardens will add even more beauty to Southern nights on the coast. Brookgreen Gardens, the world-renowned sculpture garden located near Murrells Inlet, is once again showcasing an after-hours lighted art exhibition series titled “Summer Light: Art by Night.” The exhibit will light up the gardens on Wednesday and Saturday evenings through Aug. 26. Gates open at 6 p.m. and close at 10 p.m. The new nighttime exhibit is produced by the same team responsible for Brookgreens’ most-popular exhibit, “Nights of a Thousand Candles,” the holiday-inspired event that runs November through early January. (Photo courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens) Featuring 10 lighted art installations, the exhibit allows people to immerse themselves with sounds and lights. It was created by Brookgreen’s Public Exhibits Production and Logistics team, led by Manager Janet Coen. It’s the same team that designs Brookgreens’ most-popular exhibit, the holiday-inspired “Nights of a Thousand Candles.” Various bands will perform live music each night throughout the summer. They will include If Birds Could Fly, Don Thomas and Friends, Greg Rowles, Three Day Weekend, City Lights, Painted Man, Festive Brass, Paul Grimshaw Band, Craig Sorrells Project, Stirling Bridge, Miracle Max and the Pet Monsters, Sea-Cruz, The Reggie Sullivan Band, Mystic Vibrations, Paperwork, and Bullfrog. A variety of food and beverage options will be available during Summer Light: Art by Night. Austin’s Harvest Restaurant will be open. Make reservations here! Also, Brookgreen’s Old Kitchen will also serve snacks and refreshments. “This is the perfect opportunity for guests to immerse themselves and be mesmerized by the stunning landscapes, sculptures, and gardens that Brookgreen has to offer, in a whole new light,” said Page Kiniry, Brookgreen’s president and CEO. Created by Brookgreen’s Public Exhibits Production and Logistics team, led by Manager Janet Coen, the same team that designs Nights of a Thousand Candles, the following nine light installations will be illuminated throughout the sculpture gardens: Cascades – 800 upcycled “chandeliers” of cascading light in the Welcome Plaza portico. Prismatic Passage – nearly 900 wine bottles casting a colorful reflective glow along the Daylily Walk. Mystic Summer Nights – 15 architectural LED bar lights casting cool colors beyond the Garden Wall. Where the Heavens Meet the Earth, A Tangible Night’s Sky – over 450 glistening hues of blue, yellow and white will twinkle like stars under the 200-year-old Live Oak trees on the Rosen Carolina Terrace. Morocco at Night – 95 Moroccan-style lanterns will be scattered amongst the architecture, sculptures, roses bushes, and palm trees of the Poetry Garden. Reflections of the Night – blue, green, and yellow handmade glass, created by “Conway Glass,” will splay colors across the garden surrounding the sculpture “Athlete” by Rudulph Evans as the sun sets each night. A Moppet’s Dream – 18 upcycled planter baskets and 14 repurposed cressets will make up larger-than-life lighted flowers placed throughout the Children’s Garden. Symphony of Light – 50 architectural LED bar lights will light Live Oak Allee in a wash of color paired with romantic melodies. White Lights, Warm Nights – White lanterns illuminating the pool and garden surrounding Anna Hyatt Huntington’s “Diana of the Chase” sculpture, mimicking the pure light of the moon. Featuring 10 lighted art installations, the exhibit allows people to immerse themselves with sounds and lights. (Photo courtesy of Brookgreen Gardens) Brookgreen is located at 1931 Brookgreen Drive just off U.S. Highway 17 (also known as Ocean Highway) on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast, south of Myrtle Beach and north of Charleston. Tickets for “Summer Lights” are $20 per night for adult members and $12 for children members. For non-members, tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children. To purchase tickets, click here. Regular admission tickets do not include access to the “Summer Lights” event. Member season tickets are $50. Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark open to the public daily. Founded in 1931 by Anna Hyatt Huntington and Archer Huntington, Brookgreen is home to the largest and most significant collection of American Figurative Sculpture in the United States and continues as a leader in sculpture conservation, environmental conservation, and protection of the plants, animals, and history of the South Carolina Lowcountry. “This is another spectacular event created by Brookgreen Gardens that visitors to the Hammock Coast will undoubtedly love this summer,” said Clayton Stairs, tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast. South Carolina’s Hammock Coast is an official sponsor for Brookgreens’ “Summer Lights” exhibit. Georgetown County’s casual charm and Southern hospitality earned it the nickname of the Hammock Coast. Adventure and relaxation blend together in perfect harmony, like the flowing and ebbing of waves on the county’s famed beaches. With six communities – southern Garden City, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield, Pawleys Island, Georgetown and Andrews – comprising the pristine coastal area between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, visitors can experience South Carolina’s Hammock Coast like never before. For more information about the event series, visit www.brookgreen.org or call 843-235-6000. — By Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development, Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast 0 Hammock-All, Murrells Inlet
