Frederick Law Olmsted: Bringing Nature into the City (Lecture)

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, the master designer of public parks and a founder of the field of landscape architecture. Join historian and filmmaker Laurence Cotton (originator of and consulting producer to the PBS special “Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America”) as he does a deep dive into the remarkable life and career of Renaissance-man Olmsted–writer, philosopher, social reformer, advocate for the preservation of natural scenery, and creator of some of the most beautiful public and private parks and gardens in North America.

Mr. Cotton will talk about the design traditions, aesthetics, and philosophies that influenced Olmsted’s thought—including English garden design, the Hudson River School, and Transcendentalism. He will emphasize Olmsted’s remarkable career as a writer and the worldwide influence of his publications on the antebellum South and the institution of slavery. The talk included a visual tour of representative masterful landscapes designed by Olmsted, Senior, as well as his two sons and the Olmsted Bros. landscape architecture firm across North America, with a focus on the Olmsted landscape legacy in Florida, and in the American South.
Mr. Cotton is a writer, filmmaker, historian, interpretive planner, communications consultant, and landscape historian specializing in the Olmsted legacy.

Bring your own lunch if you like and enjoy a lecture at The Sarasota Garden Club at 1131 Boulevard of the Arts. 

Attendance is limited, registration required.