For planning purposes, it is greatly appreciated if you register for RJD programs.
Registration and minimum bookings are required for certain programs.

Tuesday, May 22nd at 7:00 pm
Jazz in the Gardens with High School Musicians

The RJD is proud to host our annual “Jazz in the Gardens” concert, featuring the area’s premier high school jazz ensembles, showcasing their award-winning music under the terrace tent. Join us to enjoy a terrific evening of music and pay tribute to the talent of these young musicians. No fee.

AHA! Evening Thursday, June 14th at 6:00 pm
Guided Neighborhood Tour with Bruce Barnes

Partnering with our friends next-door, the New Bedford Preservation Society, the RJD is pleased to host a tour of the beautiful 19th century houses and neighborhood west of County Street. Back by popular demand, the tour is led by Bruce Barnes of the Preservation Society and steps off from the RJD front porch at 6:00 pm sharp! Arrive around 5:00 to enjoy the interiors of the Museum and its gardens in bloom, before the walking tour begins. No fee.

Save the Date! Saturday, June 16th ~ RJD Dinner Dance

Plans are underway for this year’s event, which will be hosted by Kissy Russell at Barney’s Joy Creek Farm in South Dartmouth.

Watch the mail for your invitation and check back for updates!

Thursday, June 21st ~ Sunday, June 24th
Painting in the Garden Class with Severin Haines

The Museum is delighted to offer a four-day adult painting class with local artist Severin Haines, timed to coincide with peak bloom in the RJD’s full city block of gardens. The program is designed to accommodate a range of artistic experience working with oil, acrylic, watercolor or pastel. The program is six hours a day and offers a unique and concentrated learning experience, which combines one-on-one instruction with Mr. Haines each day, painting in the garden, and a shared art experience as participants gather each day for lunch to critique their progress. The program begins with an illustrated history of garden painting with the work of noted artists such as Monet, Vuillard, and Childe Hassam, to the work of the contemporary landscape artists of today. Severin Haines, a graduate of the Swain School of Design and Yale University’s School of Art and Architecture is Professor Emeritus at UMASS Dartmouth. He has exhibited in numerous galleries and one-person shows. A suggested list of materials and supplies will be provided before the class begins. The program fee is $250 per student.

AHA! Evening Thursday, July 12th at 6:30 pm
Yoga for Kids with Tim Donohue

Bring the entire family and join Tim Donohue and his YOGA KIDS as they demonstrate his particular style of kid-friendly yoga. No one is too young or too old! Never tried the Downward Facing Dog? Tim’s gentle encouragement and inspiration will have you moving comfortably from one yoga position to the next. Join us and learn for yourself how this quiet form of exercise can relax your being and improve your outlook. Enjoy old-fashioned lawn games and cool lemonade. No fee.

Wednesday, July 18th at 6:30 pm
Tigers in Red Weather with Author Liza Klaussmann

The reviews are in–Liza Klaussmann, great-great-great granddaughter of Herman Melville, is already earning comparisons to Ernest Hemingway and Henry Miller with her riveting, Gatsby-esque debut novel about a murder that disrupts a family’s life in mid-century Martha’s Vineyard. Liza grew up spending her summers on the Vineyard and those memories helped knit together the setting, tastes, smells, and sounds that create the almost tangible beauty that permeates Tigers in Red Weather. She will read selections from her novel at 7:00 pm. Refreshments and books available. No fee for RJD Members, non-members $10.

Wednesday, July 25th 6:00 to 8:00 pm
A Celebration at Al Walker’s “Seathrift”

Al Walker, former RJD Board Member and great friend of the Museum, invites you to A Celebration of Seathrift at 288 Russells Mills Road in Dartmouth. As Al bids adieu to Seathrift, his personal gardens and home of more than twenty years, his collections of art and interior furnishings, garden ornaments and sculpture will be offered for sale at auction on Saturday, July 28th. Our host invites you to a final celebration at his property and a private viewing, which includes the barn and first floor of the house. Enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and take home a catalog. Proceeds from the Preview Party on July 25th support the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum. Individual tickets $40, $75 for a pair.

Wednesday, August 1st & Thursday, August 2^nd
RJD Symposium Garden Tour to Coastal Maine with Nan Sinton

The RJD invites you to join us for an amazing horticultural journey to coastal Maine with designer and world garden traveler Nan Sinton. We will explore the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor, one of the most noteworthy and distinguished botanical destinations in the country. Its exquisite gardens, dramatic and compelling natural landscape, and waterfront make it unique, charming and totally captivating! The landscapes present limitless potential to inspire learning about natural history, habitats, botany, horticulture and ecological connections.

In addition, we will visit two outstanding seaside gardens where the summer bloom should be at its peak. Enjoy lunch en route, and later in the afternoon, we are invited to enjoy a glass of wine while visiting another property on the rocky coast.

The motorcoach departs the RJD at 8:00 am on Wednesday, and returns by 6:30 pm on Thursday. The all-inclusive cost of the trip (excluding dinner on Thursday when you can select a variety of dining options at the hotel or close by) is $390 for double occupancy and $470 for single occupancy. Space is limited, so please book at your earliest convenience. Symposium funds underwrite the cost of student educational programming at the Museum.

Thursday, August 16th 6:30 pm
Concert in the Garden with Laura CORTESE and the Acoustic Project

Welding the propulsive grace of ancient fiddle styles to disarmingly open-hearted original pop songs, Laura Cortese has emerged among the most intriguing and versatile musicians in the bountiful New England post-folk scene. At home in any number of traditional styles, her highly-visible work as a supporting musician (on fiddle, vocals, and bass) includes appearances with Uncle Earl, Tao Seeger, Band of Horses, and – as part of Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden – Patterson Hood and Michael Franti. Laura will appear with fellow musicians Natalie Haas, Brittany Haas and Hanneke Cassel who make up the Acoustic Project. The band has been enjoying glowing reviews playing festivals and concerts in 2011. Picnics are encouraged. The gates open at 6:30 pm and the concert begins at 7:00 pm. The concert will be held rain or shine, $16 for members, $20 for non-members.