SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Yaddo gardens will reopen in June after being closed to the public since the start of the pandemic.
According to a release sent out by the organization, the gardens will reopen Monday, June 6. Before that, there will be a poetry event in the gardens on June 4-5, which is free but requires advance registration.
“We’re well aware of how much the Gardens at Yaddo mean to our community and to generations of visitors who come to them for solace, picnics, and often to capture the most significant moments in their lives, such as weddings and family photographs,” said Yaddo President Elaina Richardson in a statement. “We look forward to seeing our garden volunteers who do such a remarkable job and to welcoming everyone back as we celebrate Yaddo’s return!”
Garden volunteers in the Yaddo Garden Association will return over the next few weeks to join Yaddo’s facilities team in preparing to reopen. The gardens are situated on the lower and upper terraces of the Yaddo grounds and are divided by a pergola. The lower level includes a rose garden while the upper level features a woodland rock garden. Both gardens have fountains.
According to Yaddo, the gardens are among the most popular attractions in Saratoga Springs and receive more than 60,000 visitors a year.
Yaddo’s residency program, which is open to people working in dance, film, literature, musical composition, performance, the visual arts and video, reopened in February 2021 with closed pods for predetermined periods of time and with COVID-19 testing protocols in place for staff and guests.
“As we move into post-pandemic life, let us remember that in very real ways, art saved us,” said Yaddo’s Board Co-Chairs, Peter Kayafas and Janice Y.K. Lee in a statement. “We listened to music, read books, watched television shows and were comforted by beautiful works of art. As we all know, the creation of art does not happen in a vacuum and the process needs constant support and tending—not unlike gardens, in fact.”
After June 6, the Yaddo gardens will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit Yaddo.org.
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