Design Seminar
May 5-6, 2023 Winston-Salem, NC
The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!
A Coronation Day Celebration of British Design
May 5-6, 2023
Please plan to join us on May 5th and 6th when four legendary gardeners, designers, and historians come together from both sides of the Atlantic to share the latest trends in British home and garden design.
This year we are excited to share an extended program with a Friday night keynote and reception, complete with a Saturday celebration of the royal coronation. You won’t want to miss this extraordinary two-day program, with England’s Garden Guru, Keynote Speaker Fergus Garrett (CEO and Head Gardener at Great Dixter and recipient of the 2019 Victoria Medal of Honour).
Registration Closed! Please plan to join us next year!
Keynote Only Ticket
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$125 ($115 Frank L. Horton Society*) |
Individual Ticket
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$325 ($315 Frank L. Horton Society*) |
Patron Ticket
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$450 ($440 Frank L. Horton Society*) |
Reserved Table Host
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$2,500 |
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$3,500 |
About the Speakers:
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Fergus Garrett has held the position of Head Gardener for the internationally acclaimed Great Dixter Garden in Northiam, East Sussex, UK since 1993. Trained by the gardener Christopher Lloyd (1921-2006), Fergus learnt to keep the gardens of Great Dixter constantly changing throughout the seasons and to be adventurous in trying out new plants and plant combinations.In 2019, Fergus received the highest accolade the Royal Horticultural Society can give: The Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH). In addition, Fergus has written many magazine articles and lectures widely both nationally and internationally. Today, Fergus continues with his role as CEO and Head Gardener at Great Dixter as well as spearheading several projects including the greening up of urban and suburban communities, biodiversity related projects in towns and villages, and training students from all over the world in the Dixter style of flower gardening. |
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Wolf Burchard is Associate Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York with responsibility for British furniture and decorative arts. He is the curator of Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts shown at the Met, the Wallace Collection in London and the Huntington Museum in San Marino, CA (Dec 2021- March 2023). Burchard is a regular contributor to Furniture History, Apollo Magazine and Country Life, and sat on the executive committees of the Furniture History Society, the Georgian Group and the Society for Court Studies, as well as on advisory boards at the Château de Versailles, the Mobilier national in Paris and the German Embassy in London. |
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During Lady Clarissa Clifford of Chudleigh’s long career as an Interior Decorator, she has worked throughout the UK and overseas on many amazing projects. She has a wealth of experience restoring period, historic properties and has put this knowledge to good use for the restoration of her husband’s (Thomas, 14th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh) ancestral home, Ugbrooke Park. Mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, Ugbrooke was re-modelled in the eighteenth century by Robert Adam. Recently, Clarissa has transformed the Georgian stable block into the home where she and her husband now live. For many years, Clarissa was a member of the British Institute of Interior Design and continues to be a member of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars. |
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Author of soon-to-be published St James Palace: From Leper Hospital to Royal Court, Rufus Bird is a furniture specialist and former Surveyor of the Queen’s Works of Art, Royal Collection Trust. Prior to his 10 year appointment in the Royal Collection, Rufus was a Director at Christie’s where he was responsible for English furniture. |
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Long-time Design Seminar Moderator J. Thomas Savage is Director of Educational Travel and Conferences at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Tom’s lifelong passion for country estates and extraordinary collections has led him around the world in pursuit of those with refined taste and style. A native of the South, Tom has been director of external affairs at the Winterthur Museum, was senior vice president of Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and served as curator and director of museums for the Historic Charleston Foundation. |
SCHEDULE
The 2023 MESDA Design Seminar will take place in the
James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium
Old Salem Visitor Center
900 Old Salem Road, Winston-Salem, NC
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FRIDAY, May 5, 2023 | |
5:30pm | Keynote Reception |
Enjoy a special opportunity to mix with fellow program attendees over libations and hors d’oeuvres. |
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6:30pm | Keynote Address |
Fergus Garrett | |
CEO and Head Gardener at Great Dixter | |
East Sussex, England | |
Patron Dessert Reception | |
Visit an incredible private home in Winston-Salem’s exclusive Reynolda Park neighborhood for a post-keynote dessert reception with speakers. | |
SATURDAY, May 6, 2023 | |
9:15am | Seminar check-in and Book Store |
Concourse, Old Salem Visitor Center | |
900 Old Salem Road | |
Winston-Salem, NC 27101 | |
10am | Welcome & New to the Collections |
Dr. Daniel Ackermann | |
Chief Curator & Director of Collections, Research, & Archaeology | |
Old Salem Museums & Gardens | |
Winston-Salem, North Carolina | |
Introductions | |
J. Thomas Savage | |
Director of Educational Travel & Conferences | |
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation | |
Williamsburg, Virginia | |
10:30am | Decorating Ugbrooke Park & the Old Stables |
Lady Clarissa Clifford of Chudleigh | |
Interior Decorator | |
Chudleigh, Devon, England | |
11:30am | Designing the Met’s British Galleries |
Wolf Burchard | |
Associate Curator | |
Metropolitan Museum of Art | |
New York, New York | |
12:45pm | Luncheon |
1:30pm | Book Signing |
1:45pm | St James Palace |
Rufus Bird | |
Author and Former Surveyor of the Queen’s Works of Art, Royal Collection Trust | |
London, England | |
2:45pm | Enjoy time in the MESDA galleries |

With Generous Support From

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A block of rooms has been reserved at the nearby: | Book your room at a discounted, Good Neighbor rate: |
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Mariott | Kimpton Cardinal Hotel |
Winston-Salem Downtown 125 South Main St Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336-714-2800 |
51 4th St E Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336-724-1009 |
Block Name: Design Seminar | Please use this link to register at the discounted rate. |
*Please note, to ensure a room at the discounted price, reservations must be made by 5 pm on Wednesday, April 5th. | *Please note, if using the Good Neighbor rate, reservations can be cancelled for a full refund up to two days prior to the reservation. |