Members Events

For the final 2024 installment of our Laurel Circle Lecture Series, our very own Vice President of Horticulture & Landscape Ronnit Bendavid-Val will provide an in-depth look at the current effects of the changing climate on our landscape and what to anticipate in the future. Among a host of relevant topics, Ronnit's discussion will focus on ways that horticulturalists can adapt to changes in the environment.

The event will begin with a catered reception in Bigelow Chapel. For more information, please contact Matt Tufts, Special Events and Sponsorships Manager, at 617-540-0076 or mtufts@mountauburn.org.

Space is limited, register today!

Ronnit Bendavid-Val started her role as Mount Auburn's Vice President of Horticulture & Landscape in 2022. She came to Mount Auburn with decades of experience managing large landscapes in both the public and non-profit sectors, running horticulture operations in NYC Parks, the High Line, and most recently Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

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Stay tuned as more member events are announced and check out our full list of upcoming public programs.

Past Member Events

Dinner Under the Oaks

To celebrate Mount Auburn’s 193rd birthday, we are thrilled to announce our inaugural Dinner Under the Oaks—a unique opportunity to come together, connect, and dine in our beloved early fall landscape. Please join us and other close friends who share a passion for the Cemetery at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25th, for a reception on Bigelow Lawn and dinner to follow at 7:00 p.m.

Thank you to all who joined us! Check out our photo gallery of the event.

Members Week Events (Sep 22-28,2024)

Early Fall Nature Walk -Reflections on Change Within Us and Around Us with Clare Walker Leslie - Monday, September 23, 1:00 p.m.

Naturalist, artist, educator, and author Clare Walker Leslie will lead a walk noting specific autumnal changes as participants tour Mount Auburn Cemetery's evolving landscape. Participants are encouraged to write their reflections on this season of change. Paper and pencils will be provided.

Indian Ridge Horticulture Walk with Rie Macchiarolo - Wednesday, September 25, 12:00 p.m.

In 2019, Mount Auburn began a three-phase project to restore the landscape along Indian Ridge Path, one of our oldest and most significant areas. With more than 15,000 recently installed plants, the newly-restored area promotes biological diversity while enhancing the site’s natural beauty. Join Mount Auburn's Director of Ornamental Horticulture Rie Macchiarolo as they discuss the history and horticulture of this newly rejuvenated area. 

Yoga for the Mind, Body, and Soul with Tracy Affonso - Thursday, September 26, 10:00 a.m.

Led by Artemis yoga teacher Tracy Affonso, the class will include a moving meditation and a flowing, physical practice infused with a sense of calming energy. She will mindfully instruct you through sequences while offering you the space to listen to your body and move with intention. All set in the recently-enhanced beauty of Hazel Dell to create a calming and healing experience.

Cyanotype Workshop with Madge Evers - Friday, September 27, 11:30 a.m.

Cyanotypes are one of the oldest photographic printing processes in the history of photography. Join Mount Auburn Artist-in-Residence Madge Evers for a workshop on how to make your own cyanotype compositions. Evers will teach participants an experimental form of the cyanotype process by which she will create a series of images on paper that use and depict the flora of Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Lecture Series: Summer SOLSTICE with Stan Strickland 

Friday, June 21, 2024 5:30-7:30 PM

Amidst a landscape filled with programming for our upcoming Summer SOLSTICE, join us for our next Laurel Circle Lecture Series event, when Berklee College of Music professor Stan Strickland will help us celebrate the longest day of the year with a performance and accompanying commentary in Hazel Dell. The event will begin with a catered reception in Hazel Dell, 5:30-6:30 p.m., with the performance beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

Stan Strickland is a vocalist, saxophonist, and flutist, and is the leader of Stan Strickland & Ascension, and the Stan Strickland Trio. He is a member of the Bob Moses-Stan Strickland Duo, the Laszlo Gardony-Stan Strickland Duo, Mama Tongue, and the Phil Argyris Quintet. He has performed with the Boston Pops, Take Six, Herbie Mann, Marlena Shaw, Pharaoh Sanders, Danilo Perez, and Yusef Lateef. His work appears on released recordings by Stan Strickland & Ascension, Bob Moses, Brute Force, and others. Registration is free for Laurel Circle members, $50 for non-members of the Laurel Circle. 

Lecture Series: Survivors of Hiroshima with Cannon Hersey and Taku Nishimae

Wednesday, May 1, 2024 5:30-7:30 PM

Cannon Hersey, grandson of author John Hersey who wrote “Hiroshima,” will discuss the Survivor Trees of Hiroshima, over 160 trees within a mile of the epicenter of the atomic bombing that still thrive today. Since 2015 during 31 journeys to Hiroshima, Hersey has documented over 60 of these trees with 35mm photography. Within an interactive discussion, Hersey and Peabody award-winning filmmaker Taku Nishimae will share clips from the movie “SURVIVOR TREES Hiroshima Revealed III,” and photographs as well as large scale silkscreens of these survivor trees. Hersey and Nishimae will also discuss their work as creatives and educators convening diverse, multi-generational audiences, to look at disruptive ways to tackle a range of environmental, community, and human rights issues to engage issues important to local residents and the world. Registration is free for Laurel Circle members, $50 for non-members of the Laurel Circle.