2025 Annual Silent Auction and ASLA Excursion a Roaring Success
Live Oak, a 250-acre plantation established in 1802 in the Tunica Hills of West Feliciana Parish, was the centerpiece of the annual daylong excursion of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) held in conjunction with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Annual Conference on Landscape Architecture. The excursion was just one of three events that took place that included a reception honoring the 2025 Stewardship Excellence Awardees and the foundation’s annual TCLF Silent Auction.
The excursion began on the west side of the Mississippi River at LeJeune House, the oldest dwelling in the small town of New Roads, the parish seat of Pointe Coupée Parish. Attendees enjoyed refreshments while exploring the three-acre site featuring the 400-year-old Samson live oak, with its astounding 28.5-foot circumference.
Next, the group traveled to Live Oak to hear about its long history of dedicated stewardship. TCLF board member and property owner, architect Trey Trahan, along with landscape architect Doug Reed and the design team from Reed Hilderbrand, walked attendees through research and preservation planning findings, progress on priority improvements, and future plans for restoring and interpreting the property. The site visit concluded with lunch under Live Oak’s signature alle of centuries-old oak trees.
The capstone to the day included a private tour of Afton Villa Gardens, led by the daughter of Genevieve and Morrell Trimble, Morrell Trimble Corle. The Trimbles took up residence in the site’s pool house in 1972 and since then were engaged in restoring the overgrown gardens according to plans developed with landscape architect Neil Odenwald, professor emeritus at Louisiana State University. For fifty years until her passing in 2023 Genevieve Trimble worked tirelessly to restore and interpret the gardens.
TCLF’s annual, curated excursions to exceptional examples of landscape architecture, and significant cultural landscape are eagerly anticipated, extremely popular, and always sell out months in advance. This excursion was no exception.
The following day on Friday, October 10, back in New Orleans, TCLF hosted a reception at Octavia Gallery, surrounded by the work of Carmen Almon and Emily Farish. The event not only honored Stewardship Excellence Award honorees Shaun Duncan, Hon. ASLA, and Lake Douglas, FASLA, but also the recent passing of Oberlander Prize laureate Konjian Yu with remarks from Oberlander Prize Curator, Elizabeth Mossop. Claire Agre, Oberlander Prize Jury Chair, also previewed the announcement of the third Oberlander Prize laureate.
Finally, the foundation’s 21st Annual Silent Auction was once again hosted exclusively online and featured more than 90 exceptional works of art and rare books by noted landscape architects and artists. Highlights included works by Michael Van Valkenburgh; Marion Brenner; Michael Kenna; Mary Miss; and a 300-year-old, leatherbound early edition of La Theorie et la Pratique du Jardinage by Antoine-Joseph Dézallier d’Argenville (1722). Once again proving extremely popular, the piece by Roberto Burle Marx sold early, using the “Buy Now” function, for a record-breaking price. A special thank you goes out to new and returning artists and donors who make this event possible. All auction proceeds benefit TCLF’s education and advocacy initiatives.
TCLF was grateful to the sponsors that made these myriad events a success including GameTime, Landscape Forms, Select Trees, Stone Curators, Summerhill Landscapes, Maglin, and ASLA. Additional thanks go out to TCLF Board members Doug Reed, Trey Trahan, Holly Sharp, Jeff Carbo, and Susan Turner for their support and guidance to make these programs possible.
Next year's ALSA Conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA, and plans are already underway for another remarkable and unforgettable excursion. Stay tuned.