A Private, Guided Experience

Artist Cassandra C. Jones has been working to create a residency program with Taft Gardens called ART IN NATURE. Through the spring bloom, she has been splitting her time between her home in Oak View and the Taft family’s 260-acre property in the Santa Ana Canyon — getting to know the names of the plants, picking favorites, and creating a show with a very powerful message.

Jules Weissman has been spending a lot of time at Taft herself, since making it a vertex of the VORTEX spring issue: Bloom!

The Gallery Show

Cassandra’s show, WOAH AND WONDER opened on May 29th. Tickets for the daytime tour and evening concert, with husband Mikael Jorgensen’s band, Expandards (in Taft’s beautiful amphitheater) sold out in just a few hours. Since opening, every First Edition print has sold.

If you missed this event, Cassandra is there until July. If you want to join us, now’s your chance! We are honored to have the opportunity to put this together.

Your Visit

Cassandra will meet guests at the parking lot and take them on a walk through the gardens for approximately forty-five minutes. She will speak about the inspiration she found in the South African and Australian Protea plants and field questions in a presentation that is not rehearsed but instead building through the weeks, and tailored to each group.

At the Artists’ Cottage, Cassandra will give a talk about her series. Without giving too much away, this show is a poignant reaction to our current challenges.

Please prepare for a gentle hike on garden paths and sloping roadways and bring adequate water for the first hour. Cold beverages will be available once we arrive at the Artists’ Cottage. If you are sensitive to the sun, please wear a hat and sunscreen. It can be buggy this time of year, so please plan for that as well.

Jules is able and happy to transport up to five guests in her van. Because traffic to these private gardens is limited, only one or two additional carloads are allowed. If you are driving separately, you will receive a temporary gate code by text and help to arrange carpools.

Restrooms are located in the parking lot and adjacent to the studio.

The $30 fee includes a $20 donation to Taft’s residency program, Art in Nature, and $10 to VORTEX.

$5 OFF for OLO members

A NOTE FROM JULES: as summer arrives, the bloom is subsiding, but this is still a magical, intimate experience. Cassandra is both a dear friend and an integral part of VORTEX.We are limited to 10 people per visit, first come, first served. If the response is overwhelming, more dates will be added. WOAH AND WONDER runs through the end of July and it is possible to arrange a visit on your own. If you wish to be a part of a VORTEX group, please make a donation* and fill out a form.