Do I need prior art experience?

No. The workshop welcomes beginners and experienced makers; the instructor guides techniques and offers individualized feedback.

Where exactly does the workshop meet?

Meet on the Drayton Hall grounds; your booking confirmation will include the specific check-in location and arrival time.

Is the workshop appropriate for children?

Age recommendations can vary; check the booking details for minimum age or contact the organizer if unsure.

Bring a sketchbook, comfortable shoes, a refillable water bottle, and any personal art tools you prefer—basic supplies are typically provided.

What is the cancellation policy?

Cancellation and refund terms are set by the booking provider—review the confirmation or fareharbor booking page for policy details.

Are materials included?

Some mixed-media materials and shared tools are provided, but you may be encouraged to bring small personal items or imagery for reference.

Bridging Generations: Art Workshop with Ayanna Gadsden at Drayton Hall

Bridging Generations at Drayton Hall, Charleston, South Carolina, offers a slow, attentive way to enter the Lowcountry’s layered past. In this hands-on workshop, Gullah Geechee artist Ayanna Gadsden—herself a Drayton Hall descendant—guides participants through mixed-media techniques that respond to place, memory, and regional spiritual traditions. The session is staged on the historic Drayton Hall grounds, where oak canopies frame wide river-edge views and the landscape still carries echoes of colonial and African American histories. The core of the experience is practical and personal: you’ll work with collage, pigment, and found materials while listening to stories about the Lowcountry’s cultural continuity. Rather than a demonstration-only setup, Ayanna encourages experimentation and reflection, prompting students to translate local narratives into texture, mark-making, and layered surfaces. Expect small group sizes and a reflective pace—this is art practice as research and remembrance, not a speed-run craft class. What makes this workshop stand out is its rootedness. You are not simply learning a technique; you are in conversation with someone whose family history is entwined with the land. The program foregrounds Gullah Geechee perspectives—language, symbolism, and spiritual practices—to reframe common tour narratives and center voices often left out of plantation histories. The setting amplifies that work: original architecture, old-growth oaks, and marsh-edge light provide visual prompts that shape material choices and compositional decisions. Practical details are straightforward. This is suitable for beginners and experienced makers alike; no specialized technical skills are required. Bring a sketchbook, a willingness to try unfamiliar materials, and sensible shoes for walking the grounds. Sessions typically last a half-day, and the pace allows time for conversation and quiet observation. Weather can shift quickly in the Lowcountry—shade and hydration are essential in summer, while shoulder seasons bring cooler, crisper light ideal for plein-air sketching. For travelers to Charleston seeking an experience that ties creativity to place, this workshop offers rare access to local culture through a contemporary artist’s lens. It’s a reminder that history is not inert; it can be translated, questioned, and honored through making. Whether you come for technique, story, or a day of contemplative studio time, Bridging Generations with Ayanna Gadsden leaves you with a finished piece and a deeper sense of how art can hold memory in the landscape. The workshop’s pace makes room for questions, close looking, and material play—expect prompts that reference oral histories, archival fragments, and contemporary responses. Visitors report departing with not only a tangible artwork but a set of new interpretive tools for reading the Lowcountry landscape. Whether you’re a local resident or a traveler passing through, Bridging Generations reframes time and offers a mode of engagement that is quietly powerful, exacting, and generous. Reservations are limited—book early to secure your spot today.

About Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust stewards Drayton Hall, a nationally significant historic property located on the Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina. The Trust preserves America’s earliest unrestored Palladian house—often described as the nation's oldest preserved plantation house—and interprets its architectural, cultural, and archaeological stories for the public.

Programming includes daily and seasonal guided tours such as the one-hour Signature Experience Tour that visits the cellar, main, and second floors and features the Steven and Laura Gates Exhibit Gallery and the Lenhardt Courtyard Garden. Educator-led Student House Tours provide 45–60 minute curriculum-based experiences exploring African American history, architectural preservation, and onsite archaeology. Evening offerings range from Candlelight Tours that illuminate 18th-century spaces to special events like Drayton Hall at Night with live lawn music and archaeological presentations. Seasonal and community events include the popular Annual Deck the Hall Oyster Roast, holiday concerts such as African American Spirituals with Ann Caldwell and The Magnolia Singers, and hands-on workshops like the Wreath Building Workshop led by local florist Lela Solomon. The Trust also collaborates with nearby institutions to offer combination itineraries—for example, joint tours and package days with Middleton Place and Charleston Strolls walking tours—giving visitors economical ways to experience Lowcountry gardens, houses, and historic streets. Interpreters and guides emphasize preservation, authenticity, and historical context. Many ticketed experiences have limited capacity, so visitors are encouraged to book in advance to secure a place.

Public programming supports conservation of the house, landscape, and archaeological collections through admission and membership, and community engagement efforts nationwide.