Wild Knoll Foundation Garden (2021-ongoing)

View from Wild Knoll

May Sarton was a writer and avid gardener who rented a house named Wild Knoll from Mary-Leigh Smart and Beverly Hallam from 1973-1995. Sarton could be considered the first artist in residence at Surf Point, alongside Beverly Hallam, whose studio was in Surf Point.

Wild Knoll Foundation Garden is a living artwork where a house once stood. This footprint garden is built to the scale of the house where the writer May Sarton lived and worked for decades, keeping the tending of her terrace gardens central to her creative life as documented in her journal style book, the House by the Sea. 

Artist Carly Glovinski conceived of this work in 2021, while in residence at Surf Point, after encountering the overgrown terrace and plantings of Sarton's former home. 

Glovinski created a new garden based on the architectural drawings of the former house on its original site. Each "room" in the garden is constructed from 2x4s, the same material used to build house walls, and features a unique color scheme. Each plant was carefully selected for its hardiness, drought resistance, and animal tolerance, as well as its specific bloom times. The project also involved restoring the existing terrace gardens.

The work is a blend of environmental art, community engagement, and historical tribute. It serves as a dialogue, a negotiation, and a celebration of a particular place—its past and its future. The garden is a contemplation on humanity's bond with nature and a reflection on time, dedication, and resilience, both for the artist and for nature itself.

Today, the garden exists as a gathering place for the Surf Point residents, a support system for insects and wildlife, and now, a new stage for activations by other artists. Glovinski continues to regularly tend the garden, seeing it as a dynamic, evolving sanctuary that fosters community involvement and creative exploration while reflecting the rhythms and sensory richness of the natural world.

Collaborators:

2021-2023 Acadia Tucker, Regenerative Farmer and Author - initial planning and planting

2023-2024 Elizabeth Brown, Master Gardener and Author- tending and consultation

Invited Artist Activations 

Curated by Carly Glovinski, in collaboration with the artists.

2024 Tory Fair

Garden with purple and white flowers beside a stone wall.
Garden scene with flowers and a stone wall under a blue sky, surrounded by green foliage and trees in the background.
Person with glasses in front of a lush garden with various plants and flowers, under a sunny sky.
Lush garden scene with white flowering plants, dense green foliage, and large trees in a misty background.
Close-up of vibrant orange flowers with dark centers in a garden setting.
Vibrant flower garden with various blooms, including white daisies, pink and orange flowers, surrounded by lush green foliage and tall trees in the background.
Purple allium flowers in a garden with tall lavender plants in the background.
Architectural blueprint of a first floor plan with labeled rooms and doors.
Close-up of a white peony flower with a hand holding its stem, surrounded by green leaves and a stone wall in the background.
Two women gardening in a yard, holding a rake and a shovel, surrounded by greenery and plants in raised garden beds.
A neatly organized garden with wooden-framed flower beds, containing various green plants and small shrubs, surrounded by trees and greenery in the background.
A bouquet of yellow and white daffodils held in front of a brown wooden sign that reads 'Wild Knoll' attached to a tree trunk.
Garden pathway with wooden raised flower beds, surrounded by trees and greenery, under a partly cloudy sky.
A misty garden with blooming purple and yellow flowers surrounded by lush greenery.
An open handwritten journal with dated entries describing garden observations and experiences, focusing on flowers and plants' growth and care. A hand holding the journal is partially visible.
Person holding "The House by the Sea" book by May Sarton, with a seaside landscape in the background.

Map of Wild Knoll Foundation Garden.

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About the Artists

Carly Glovinski

Carly Glovinski makes work that explores the make-do, resourceful attitudes associated with domestic craft and a reverence for nature and the great outdoors. The elements of time and place are embedded in her work, measured by tides and seasonal flower blooms, and marked by labor and repetitive process. She received her BFA from Boston University and is represented by Morgan Lehman Gallery in New York. She has been awarded residencies at Surf Point Foundation in 2021, and the Canterbury Shaker Village in 2020, and grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and the Blanche Colman Trust. Her work has been in major publications such as New American Paintings, ArtMaze Magazine, Hyperallergic, and Vice, and is held in collections including Colby Museum of Art, Fidelity Investments, and the Cleveland Clinic.

Woman sitting on a workbench in an art studio with floral paintings on the wall, surrounded by jars of paint and art supplies.

Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth Brown is the owner of Foxglove Farmhouse, a cut flower garden near the tidal York River. She is a graduate of the Gardeners' Workshop Farmer Flower School, a certified therapeutic horticulturist, and a Maine Master Gardener.   A lifelong York resident, Elizabeth had the pleasure of growing up down the road from Surf Point Foundation, and counts the magic of her childhood, spent wandering the woods and rocky shoreline, as the foundation for her interest in growing flowers for her community.

Person wearing a sun hat and apron standing in front of an old wooden building with windows.

Acadia Tucker

Acadia Tucker is a regenerative farmer, climate activist, and author. Her books are a call to action to citizen gardeners everywhere, and lay the groundwork for planting an organic, regenerative garden. For her, this is gardening as if our future depends on it. Before becoming an author, Acadia started a four-season organic market garden in Washington State inspired by farming pioneers Eliot Coleman and Jean-Martin Fortier. While managing the farm, Acadia grew 200 different food crops before heading back to school at the University of British Columbia to complete a Masters in Land and Water Systems. She is the author of Growing Perennial Foods: A field guide to raising resilient herbs, fruits, & vegetables , Growing Good Food: A citizen’s guide to backyard carbon farming, and Tiny Victory Gardens: Growing Food without a yard. Acadia is an Ambassador for regenerative agriculture for The Rodale Institute. She lives in Jonesport, ME.

Smiling woman standing in front of wooden wall.

Visit Wild Knoll

The Wild Knoll Foundation Garden is open by appointment. Please complete the form below, and we will arrange a time for you to stop by. Please note, in most cases, we need at least 72-hours’ notice before your requested visit time.