Individual Acts Create a World of Change
Dear Friends,
Today, at a time when the arts are under threat and care of the planet is compromised, the conviction that made this garden is all the more relevant and resonant: individual acts of creativity and care create a world of change.
Times like ours render in high relief what matters most to us, and call for ever-deepening resolve to bring what we imagine to fruition. We are holding in our minds this vision of The Merwin Conservancy at its fullest expression:
The palm garden planted by W.S. Merwin across 10 acres is healthy, protected, and evolving—thriving as a living work of art, and a site of sanctuary and inspiration to all.
Under our care, the garden expands into areas W.S. Merwin left unplanted in his lifetime. Groves of loulu (Pritchardia arecina), the East Maui native palm that once flourished here, fill the canopy alongside other threatened and endangered Maui species.
Existing and envisioned structures support expanded visitation and transformative programs for people of all ages. These improvements allow us to scale our impact while preserving the quiet intimacy of this special place—honoring both the carrying capacity of the land and the tenets of our conservation easement.
The story of this place continues to unfold around the world—through storytelling, virtual and offsite programs, partnerships, and collaborative projects, as well as through the imaginations and actions of all those who carry forward its values in the places they love.
Five years into our stewardship, we are looking back at what we’ve accomplished toward this vision, and we’re crafting a plan to realize its full expression over the next five years. A critical and essential piece of our plan is to build our endowment, whose purpose is to ensure perpetual care of W.S. Merwin and Paula Merwin’s house and garden—the site of continued action on behalf of language and land.
A garden that was made of a commitment to put life back into the world, even on the last day, has come to mean many things to me, and to many others. It’s a place that embodies the impact of sustained practice. It is a place that reminds me that the imagination—our capacity to envision other ways of being, living, making—is essential.
With appreciation,
Sonnet
