Build to Bloom

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Build to Bloom:
Cultivating the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont
Exhibition
Fri, Oct 16–Wed, Dec 2
Campbell Elmaleh Gallery

Lecture
Mon, Nov 16
Campbell 153

The Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is taking root in Charlottesville’s McIntire Park, transforming 15 acres of reclaimed ground into a public sanctuary shaped by the community and built for long-term stewardship. This exhibition follows that evolution, from early conversations through the first turning of the earth, tracing how architecture and landscape design work in conversation to reimagine a forgotten site as a living, working, and beautiful landscape.

The design narrative begins with the Garden's Masterplan—conceived by Mikyoung Kim Design and honored with a National ASLA award—and expands through the collaborative, ongoing work of Waterstreet Studio and Maryann Thompson Architects. The Garden has deep roots in the University of Virginia School of Architecture, with A-School alumni serving on the board of directors, the design team, and as Executive Director. This meaningful local partnership is carried forward tangibly through collaboration with UVA Sawmilling, which gives new purpose to trees felled during construction, and through forward-thinking stormwater management designed to sustain the land for generations.

The Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is more than a landscape taking shape. It is a testament to what community voice, intentional design, and ecological stewardship can cultivate together—a living legacy meant to outlast the generations that nurture it.

About the Speakers

Jill Trischman-Marks (MLA '92) is a landscape architect with nearly 30 years of experience in Central Virginia and the Executive Director of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont. After several years on the Garden’s Board of Directors, she retired her private practice to lead the organization, bringing deep design expertise and a strong commitment to accessibility, community partnership, and environmental stewardship. During her tenure, Jill has worked to make the Garden more welcoming and to engage residents across the region in shaping its future. Her earlier work includes projects at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Thomas Jefferson Parkway, and Poplar Forest.

Margaret Murray Bloom is a Charlottesville native, CEO and co-owner of Panorama Paydirt, and President of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont Board of Directors. She has been involved with the operations of her family’s property, Panorama Farms, since 2011. At her core, Murray Bloom is a designer of systems, solutions, gatherings, spaces, and experiences. Aside from her three children, her vegetable garden is her greatest teacher.