Planting Fields Foundation

Educational and visitor experience: festivals and public events remained a cornerstone of engagement, welcoming over 7,000 visitors to celebrations such as arbor day, the camellia festival, and home for the holidays. Educational programming expanded with junior ranger field trips aligned with nys curriculum standards, as well as the inaugural sensory celebration week, which introduced tailored experiences for neurodiverse youth. Additionally, through the generous support of partners, the foundation made its annual camellia festival free of charge in 2025, reducing barriers to access and expanding public enjoy- ment of planting fields' renowned camellia collection. The foundation continues to offer guided and self-guided tours of the historic main house and introduced historic landscape tours in early 2025.

Collections, archives, and exhibits: in 2024, the foundation advanced the accessibility and stewardship of its archival holdings through improvements in collections management and storage funded by the peggy m. Gerry charitable trust. The archives were relocated to a newly designed facility that enhances preservation and supports internal research, scholarly access, and expanded digital availability. The foundation also continued its catalyst program, commissioning site-specific contemporary works in dialogue with the historic site. The 2024 commission, follies: a botanical backstory by processional arts workshop, engaged diverse audiences and reinforced the program's role in linking historic preservation with contemporary artistic practice. (continued on schedule o.)in 2025, the foundation was awarded accreditation by the american alliance of museums, a distinction achieved by only 3% of museums nationwide.

Historic structure maintenance: the foundation advanced the preservation of planting fields' historic structures, most notably completing phase i of the tea house restoration. Evergreene architectural arts conserved everett shinn's two lunette murals, painted furniture, lattice millwork, fireplace, and marble floor, revitalizing a space once described as "a string of pearls in a shoebox." this marked the first major intervention since the 1980s, ensuring the tea house's artistic and historic significance for future generations. In addition, in 2025, with funding from the greater hudson heritage network, the foundation conserved an original mounted elk head in the main house's great hall. The treatment stabilized and preserved this artifact, maintaining the historic character of the mansion and integrity of its decorative arts collection.