Patrons enjoyed a private reception with the noted authors of “Designing Women/Artistic Vision”, the ninth annual A Writer’s Garden Symposium and Luncheon held on November 3 at the Dallas Arboretum and presented by the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

The party was held the evening before the event, allowing guests to meet and mingle with the three authors in advance of the program. It was held in the home of Katie Engstrom.

The authors were Judith Tankard, Gertrude Jekyll at Munstead Wood, Meryle Secrest, Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography and Diane Saeks, Ann Getty: Interior Style. The critically acclaimed authors have written about the lives of three of the 20^th Century‘s most iconic trailblazers in the fields of Landscape Gardening, Haute Couture Fashion, and Interior Design.

The patron party was chaired by Elizabeth Rois-Mendez and “Designing Women/Artistic Vision” was chaired by Dorothea Meltzer and Shelby Marcus served as the Honorary Chair. Renee Querbes Farren is President of the Women’s Council.

Proceeds from the event make possible the continued expansion and improvement of A Woman’s Garden. Since 1986, the major goal of the Women’s Council has been the design, construction, funding and endowment of A Woman’s Garden, the centerpiece garden of the Arboretum.  A Woman’s Garden is the only public garden in the nation conceived by women, funded by the efforts of women and dedicated to the spirit of women.

Photos by Chuck Clark