Festivals & Events
Brookgreen Gardens Hosts Gullah Pictorial Exhibit, Celebrity Chef

If you’re not familiar with the backwaters of Georgetown County, you might not even know such a place exists. But, tucked in between the Pee Dee and Waccamaw Rivers, is a place called Sandy Island, home to one of three remaining Gullah-Geechee communities that are only accessible by boat. The island itself is made up of the remnants of a prehistoric dune, and the community that inhabits the southern portion dates back to well before the Civil War.

Descendants of the early inhabitants continue to populate the island, and for those interested in exploring the daily lives of the residents, Brookgreen Gardens is currently displaying Sandy Islanders: A People of the Land, a travelling pictorial exhibit on loan from University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum.

Created in 1997, the collection includes new interpretive text, historical artifacts, and an insider’s unromantic view of a people and place seldom seen. The works focus on the interconnectedness of culture, the value of work, a sense of stewardship of the land, and the relationship between the long-time black and white cultures of the area.

“The exhibit documents an important story of our region,” says Bob Jewell, President and CEO.  “It provides a captivating snapshot of an aspect of the living culture of Gullah Geechee people.”

Sandy Islanders will be available for viewing from Noon – 4:30 p.m. through March 22 at Brookgreen’s Lowcountry Center.

The Reign of Rice Lecture Series

With the pictorial exhibit on display daily, February 28th might be the perfect time to take a trip to Brookgreen as Sally Anne Robinson, author and Gullah celebrity chef, will be presenting “Cooking and Living the Daufuskie and Gullah Way,” at 2 p.m.

A native of the Gullah community on Daufuskie Island, Robinson’s event explores the Spirituality of Rice Heritage, and she will be demonstrating the process behind creating traditional dishes like crab rice and pecan crunch cookies.

Aside from her accomplishments in the kitchen, Robinson is also the author of “Gullah Home-Cooking the Daufuskie Way,” and “Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon, and Night,” which explore the cuisine she perfected while growing up on Daufuskie Island.

This event is also free with garden admission, and reservations are required.