Education Page

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Music In The Garden May 8th

SVU a cappella group performs this Friday at Boxerwood



Southern Virginia University’s coed a cappella group, The Fading Point, take the stage this Friday (May 8) at Boxerwood Nature Center & Woodland Garden, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Their performance is the second in a series of ten free “Music in the Garden” concerts scheduled for the second and fourth Fridays of the month through mid-September.

The Fading Point has entertained and inspired listeners since 2006, performing a cappella arrangements from a variety of genres including pop, rock, alternative, and contemporary Christian. They have toured up and down the east coast giving concerts, firesides, workshops, and “Super Saturday” events (faith-based one-day conferences for youth).

The Music in the Garden series features artists from the Rockbridge community, Roanoke and Charlottesville. This year, organizers have doubled the number of concerts, bringing more musical diversity to the line-up. Country singer-songwriter Sarah McDonald kicked off the series last month; jazz singer Nadine Chase and guitarist Vince Lewis are next on the program, performing on May 22. The full schedule of summer concerts is available on the Boxerwood website: www.boxerwood.org.

Music-goers should bring their own picnics, lawn chairs, blankets – and kids! The concerts are free; pass-the-hat proceeds go to the musicians, who have all donated their performances.


In the event of rain, concerts will be canceled. For more information and “iffy” weather updates, visit Boxerwood on Facebook or the Web (www.boxerwood.org) or call 463-2697.

Be sure to thank our sponsors of Music In The Garden;

  Walkabout Outfitter
  The Computer Doctor
  White's Travel Center
  Elemental Bioscience

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

First In Music In The Garden Series for 2015

Young Rockbridge country singer Sara Jane McDonald will kick off a new season of free “Music in the Garden” concerts at Boxerwood Nature Center & Woodland Garden in Lexington, performing this Friday (April 24) on the meadow stage from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Ten concerts are scheduled for the second and fourth Fridays of the month through mid-September, featuring area musicians from Roanoke to Charlottesville. Music-goers should bring their own picnics, lawn chairs, blankets – and kids! In the event of rain, concerts will be canceled.





Earth Arts This Weekend

This weekend is the finale of "April Earth Arts"

Thursday7:15 movie Rivers and Tides documentary of Andy Goldsworthy's work  Kendal auditorium

Friday6:30 first "Music in the Garden of the season  Sarah Jane McDonald

Sunday- 2-4 Family Art Adventures- Mud printing and Nature Journaling and more
              4-6 Art show and Sale of all art created at Boxerwood this month
            including WildShots photos  under the tent in the field

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Community Yoga to Make Donation to Boxerwood

Do Something For Yourself and Others

Every Saturday we offer a wellness-based class, geared for ANY level, age, fitness level, or body type. The mission of Reach Out Community Yoga is to make yoga accessible and affordable to everyone, in order to optimize personal and community wellness.

Teachers donate their time and talents; so all proceeds go to Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden as the nonprofit of the month. 
When: Every Saturday; 10:00 -11:15 AM
Where: Lylburn Downing Community Center
Cost: Your donation – pay what you want.  All proceeds go to area non-profits. Each month a different nonprofit is selected. 
*Wear comfortable clothes that allow you to move easily.
**We have yoga mats, blocks, straps and blankets to share, but bring your own if you have them.
***Ages 14 and up are welcome without a parent/guardian. Younger participants are welcome with a parent. 



April Earth Art At Boxerwood

April Earth Arts events at Boxerwood

Today is the start of April Earth Arts at Boxerwood Nature Center – a month-long celebration of visual and performing arts, all nature-inspired.  The festival is co-presented by Boxerwood and Fine Arts In Rockbridge (FAIR). Events are free and open to the public for viewing and participation.

Highlights on the Earth Art calendar include Plein Air painting on April 11,  WildShots (wildlife photography instruction) with the Rockbridge Camera Club on April 19, a preview of Summer FAIR arts camp activities followed by an outdoor concert featuring Sarah Jane McDonald on April 24, and an afternoon of Family Art Adventures (all ages) on April 26. The “adventures” will run the gamut from nature journaling with Phyllis Fevrier to tai chi with Karen Price.

An Earth Art tent sale will also be held on April 26 from 4-6pm, showcasing work produced at Boxerwood throughout the month. 

Solo installations are already in the works at the nature center, including a site-specific creation by found-artist Devan Malore, life-size figures of children by stick-sculptor Jay Sullivan, and a Field Labyrinth constructed by Boxerwood horticulturalist Faith Vosburgh and volunteers from the Rockbridge Unitarian-Universalist Church. Members of the W&L Student Arts League will spend the last week of April painting a dozen garden benches in situ.

The decision to hold a festival came about as Boxerwood board members and staff considered plans for observing Earth Day – April 22 – when citizens around the world demonstrate their commitment to protecting the natural environment of our planet.

 “The thing is, every day is Earth Day at Boxerwood,” notes Susan Meister, the fiber artist and Board member coordinating the event. “Environmental education and stewardship are what we do.  So we decided to put a new spin on Earth Day – to make it an entire month, and invite community artists to come be inspired in the place that inspires us.”


A descriptive calendar of events will be posted and continually updated on the Boxerwood website (www.boxerwood.org) and Boxerwood Facebook page. Artists interested in offering additional programs or performances at Boxerwood during April should call Susan Meister at 463-3562.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Wildshots Program at Boxerwood April 19

The Rockbridge Camera Club is partnering with the Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden to sponsor WildShots, a unique photography event at Boxerwood. Participants will take nature photos at Boxerwood and then prepare selected photos for display and potential sale during a subsequent Boxerwood art show. This event is open to the general public, including members of the Rockbridge Camera Club.
The event will start on Sunday, April 19 at 4 pm in the Boxerwood Lodge with a presentation on the use of your camera for nature photography. Then participants will go into the garden to take photos for approximately two hours. Inexperienced photographers will be paired with a member of the Rockbridge Camera Club for assistance. Following the photo session in the garden, participants will meet in the Lodge for an instructional session on printing and mounting their photos.
Participants may then bring their mounted photographs for display and potential sale at the Boxerwood Art Show on Sunday, April 26. Rules for the Art Show are that all photographs must be taken at Boxerwood.