"Native plants in Russel Wright’s landscape" will be the topic of a lecture on Saturday, October 16 at 3:00 p.m. by Harriet Zbikowski. Utilizing a selection of historic slides from Manitoga’s archives and current images, we will examine Wright’s general concepts of designing with nature. Reviewing descriptions of his site in his own words we has evolved over time due to the dynamic forces of nature.
Harriet Zbikowski, Manitoga’s consulting horticulturist and landscape designer, holds a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell and prior to that was a professional gardener for twelve years. She says, "I feel very fortunate to be involved with Manitoga at this time in its history and feel that my degrees in Fine Art and Landscape Architecture give me the skills to help Manitoga move forward. The design of Manitoga represents Russel Wright’s struggle to bring a conceptual thought— the integration of the natural and the manipulated landscape— into a viable reality at his house on the quarry pond. It is not a structure that sits apart or upon the earth, but is consciously produced from it." Manitoga is an 80 acre naturally landscaped site which was the former home of noted industrial designer, Russel Wright. He created and designed the setting for his family and visitors to give them the opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the Hudson Highlands through a series of carefully laid-out paths of discovery.
Ms. Zbikowski’s slide program will take place in Manitoga’s newly renovated Visitors Guide Building at the main parking area. This event is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program. In Putnam County the Decentralization Program is administered by the Putnam Arts Council.
For this program, suggested donation is $5 (members $4). Self-guided trails are open to the public: weekdays, year round, 9 am-4pm, and weekends and holidays, April - October, 10 am- 6pm. Members have free access to the trails at any time year round. Guided tours of the house and landscape are offered April - October, the third Saturday of the month by appointment. Manitoga is located on Route 9D in Garrison, 2.5 miles north of the Bear Mountain Bridge. For information, call Manitoga at (914) 265-3812.
