Join us at Surf Point for our 13th Community Day for a chance to explore our oceanfront residency, grounds, and Wild Knoll garden through art, performance, archival discoveries, and food. No prior knowledge of Surf Point is needed, all are welcome.

The day will bring together three interconnected experiences:

Explore the lives, work, and archives of Surf Point founders Mary-Leigh Smart and Beverly Hallam through Archive Live with the Smithsonian Archives of American Art (AAA). Josh T Franco, Collector at Large at the AAA, will be joined by Christa Blatchford, Executive Director of the Joan Mitchell Foundation and chair of Surf Point’s board, and art historian and Surf Point board member Olga U. Herrera ’22. Together, they will discuss Smart and Hallam’s lives, the stewardship of an archive divided between two organizations, and the ways in which contemporary artists can integrate archival practice into their lives and careers.

Experience new artwork at Wild Knoll by Surf Point alum Ja’Hari Ortega ’23. Inspired by Tricia Hersey’s Rest Is Resistance and May Sarton’s The House by the Sea, Ortega will present a performance and a series of written responses that begin with the question: “What does it mean to enjoy a garden you didn’t have to create or tend?”

Enjoy food prepared by Kathryn Ferguson and inspired by recipes preserved in Surf Point’s archives. Drawing from a 1970s dinner-party book and recipe cards kept by Mary-Leigh Smart and Beverly Hallam, friend of Surf Point founders Kathryn Ferguson will create dishes referencing meals hosted at Surf Point during the 1970s and 1980s.