Lighting the Southern Nights at Murrells Inlet's Brookgreen Gardens

April 2020
Written By: 
Julie Flanagan
Photographs by: 
Mark Pickthall

Bruce Munro brings his light installation art to Brookgreen Gardens

Bruce Munro’s exhibit at Brookgreen Gardens runs from May 1 to September 12 and will feature seven displays in different “garden rooms.”

Each holiday season, Brookgreen Gardens draws crowds to marvel at the beloved Nights of a Thousand Candles. With its glowing flames, twinkling lights and transformative splendor, the event is something visitors look forward to each December. Luckily, you won’t have to wait until Christmas to see something equally spectacular taking over the already-beautiful gardens. This spring, Bruce Munro will bring his unique art to the venue.

Munro, a dual nationality English/Australian artist, is known for his large site-specific installations. A recurring motif in Munro’s art is the use of light on an environmental scale in order to create emotional responses in viewers. He has brought his works to a variety of locations across the United States and abroad. Upon his first visit to Brookgreen, Munro said, “My site visit reinforced the notion of a garden being made up from a series of interconnected outside rooms. It also left me with an impression that the ‘garden rooms,’ populated by figurative sculptures, were surrounded by an untamed landscape. It’s a magical place with an edge of the unknown!”

Munro will open his exhibit, Southern Light, at Brookgreen Gardens on May 1, and the event will run through September 12. His large-scale light sculptures will transform the gardens, with seven works of art in light and mixed media on display, each specifically designed for the natural “garden rooms” where they will be installed. The illuminated pieces will consist of tens of thousands of components. The exhibit will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 8 to 11 p.m. Admission is just $20 for members ($12 for children) and $25 for non-members ($15 for children). Don’t miss this immersive experience in art and light, two things Brookgreen Gardens is known for. 

Bruce Munro at Brookgreen -- Wednesdays–Saturdays, 8–11 p.m.

Brookgreen Gardens, 1931 Brookgreen Drive, Murrells Inlet
$20 for members; $25 for non-members
(843) 235-6000
brookgreen.org