Revealing the Secrets: Gan Ryū Tei in Context
Learn the deep history and cultural value of our Japanese Garden.
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Our Japanese garden represents a cultural tradition spanning thousands of years.
Join Dr. Kevin R. E. Greenwood, Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, for a celebration of the Gan Ryū Tei Japanese garden’s 50th anniversary. Dr. Greenwood will begin with an overview of Japanese garden history, focusing on the Dry Landscape Gardens and Tea Gardens that inspired our design. He’ll then explore Cleveland’s Japanese garden within the broader context of 20th-century Japanese garden construction across North America. Finally, he’ll present the garden as an expression of designer David Slawson’s design principles, developed through his apprenticeship in Japan and extensive academic study of the tradition.
Following the talk, we’ll head outside with Horticulturist Caroline Watson to discuss her experience caring for the Gan Ryū Tei Japanese garden.
Please note that the terrain in our Japanese Garden includes grass and some uneven stone surfaces. The main entrance to the garden includes some stairs. For questions about accessibility, please email education@holdenfg.org.
Age: Adult
Time: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Cleveland Botanical Garden
Revealing the Secrets: Gan Ryū Tei in Context
Saturday, July 12, 2025
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Price: $10 per member, $25 per nonmember
Dr. Kevin E. Greenwood
Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College
Greenwood is an art historian and curator specializing in the visual arts and architecture of East Asia. His tenure as the inaugural Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art at Oberlin College’s Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM) has been marked by a rejuvenation of the interpretation and educational use of the museum’s extensive collection of Asian art covering prehistory to the present. This has been realized through a multitude of diverse exhibitions, guest and public lectures, significant acquisitions, and other initiatives. Additionally, Dr. Greenwood has been instrumental in securing vital grants aimed at art conservation and promoting educational outreach at the AMAM. His current exhibitions at the AMAM include Inspirations: Global Dialogue Through the Arts; Eight Views: Place, Picture, and Poem in East Asia; Trickster Spirits: Demons, Foxes, and Tengu in Japanese Folklore; and Shadows of Meaning, Echoes of Memory: Works from the Zirinsky Collection. Apart from his specialized research in 18th-century Chinese imperial religious art, Greenwood maintains broader interests within the study of East Asian art, including Buddhist art, Chinese painting, East Asian contemporary art, and Chinese and Japanese garden architecture.
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