Join author Ethan Fenner as he discusses his new book, The Art and Philosophy of the Garden, at North Branch. Ethan will discuss the major topics covered in the book including garden definition, comparisons of gardens to other art forms, whether a garden can be a work of art, what it means to interpret a garden, and contextual matters relevant to garden appreciation.
About The Art and Philosophy of the Garden
The Art and Philosophy of the Garden offers the first authoritative and comprehensive philosophical discussion of the aesthetics of gardens. Philosopher David Fenner and horticulturist Ethan Fenner address such questions as: what is a garden? Are some gardens works of art? What does it mean to appreciate gardens aesthetically? Given that gardens are always changing in a variety of ways, how is it possible to compare, evaluate, or find meaning in them? How can we interpret gardens? How do we value gardens and gardening? While grounded in Western thought, Fenner and Fenner bring to bear global ideas and examples of gardens and gardening techniques.
Inspired by a surge of philosophical interest in gardening, Fenner and Fenner argue that some gardens are indeed works of art. They explore how we might understand the aesthetic properties of gardens, and focus on what it means to "read" the formal aspects of gardens -- what the authors call "garden form" -- as a basis for interpreting a garden. They discuss the intersection of gardens/gardening and value: questions such as what sort of value gardens possess; whether and how ethics are relevant to gardens; how gardens may be evaluated and compared; and the value of the practice of gardening.
This comprehensive philosophical discussion on the aesthetics of gardens and gardening will not only interest those concerned with garden theory but will interest any thoughtful and intellectually curious gardener.
About Ethan Fenner
Ethan Fenner is the Museum Scientist and Horticulturist for the Southern African Collection and Cycad and Palm Collections at the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, starting in 2019. As an undergraduate Ethan studied Florida-endemic scrub mints and had his first foray into the world of professional horticulture as an intern in the Tropical Nursery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. After graduation Ethan relocated from his native Florida to New York City to enroll in the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. During this time he took an internship at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, which introduced him to South African flora and life in the Bay Area. He has a passion for plant conservation, habitat restoration, and the uniquely attractive qualities of gardens. In 2024 his first co-authored book, "The Art and Philosophy of the Garden," came to print from Oxford University Press