Descanso Gardens is a unique Southern California landscape distinguished by its specialized botanic collections, historical significance and rare natural beauty. In September 2011, Descanso opened the Sturt Haaga Gallery, an exhibition space housed in an environmentally sensitive reimagining of a historic building. The Haaga Gallery presents contemporary art exhibitions exploring themes of nature, science, and humankind’s place in creation.

Funding will support Castle Garden, an exhibition of contemporary artwork, videos and historic materials that explore how, over the centuries, plants and gardens have played a vital role in communicating our identity and culture. More specifically, the exhibition will examine issues surrounding Southern California landscaping, including origin stories of pervasive non-native plants, socio-political conditions surrounding gardening traditions, how drought and climate change route us back to native gardens, and how changes in climate will dictate our future landscapes. This exhibition will run from May 18 to September 6, 2020.