Lecture – ‘The Garden of Ideas’ Richard Aitken
Richard Aitken
The Garden of Ideas: Collecting the Australian garden
From the passions of colonial and immigrant gardenmakers to the concerns of 21st-century gardeners, the story of Australian garden style not only reflects our social and cultural history but also the extremes of our wide continent. In this lecture, garden historian Richard Aitken will share an engaging history of Australian garden design.
Richard Aitken is an architect, historian and curator. He has prepared conservation plans for many of Australia’s most significant historic gardens, including the botanic gardens of Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. His books include The Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens (2002), Gardenesque (2004), Botanical Riches (2006), and The Garden of Ideas: Four Centuries of Australian Style (to be published in October 2010).
This lecture honours the life and work of Suzanne Hunt (1946–2008). She was a founding member of the Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (ADFAS) in Melbourne, becoming Vice Chairman in 1989 and later Treasurer. A keen gardener and long-time member of the Garden History Society, she was also instrumental in creating a guide to the extensive garden history resources in the State Library of Victoria’s collections.
Time: Wednesday 1 September, 6.30– 8.15pm (including light refreshments after the lecture).
Venue: Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria, Entry 3, La Trobe Street, Melbourne.
Tickets: $35 ($30 concession, $25 State Library Foundation/ADFAS/Garden History Society members)
Bookings: Phone 03 8664 7099 or email bookings@slv.vic.gov.au
Poster as pdf - Aitken Lecture poster
