Sunset Tea, Talk & Reception in Central Park

Join the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA and the American-Scottish Foundation for a summer evening celebrating Scotland’s islands, New York City’s outdoor arts legacy, and the beauty of Central Park.

The evening will feature a talk by Kirstin Bridier, Executive Director of The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, followed by an iced tea and Pimm’s reception on the rooftop of The Arsenal in Central Park.

A Journey Through the Hebrides

Presented by Kirstin Bridier, Executive Director, National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA

Join Kirstin Bridier as she explores Scotland’s islands aboard the Hebridean Princess. From Iona, the cradle of Scottish Christianity, to remote St Kilda, the UK’s only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site, this travelogue will pair stories of island history and culture with vivid views of turquoise seas, towering sea stacks, and spectacular wildlife.

Guests will learn how American Margaret Fay Shaw helped preserve Gaelic language and song from her home on the Isle of Canna, virtually visit Fingal’s Cave on Staffa—the dramatic landscape that inspired Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture—and explore Inverewe Garden, an extraordinary garden created from barren wilderness by Sir Osgood Mackenzie in the 19th century.

About Kirstin Bridier

Kirstin Bridier is the Executive Director of The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA.

She previously served as the curator of education for the Nantucket Historical Association during the renovation and reinterpretation of its flagship Whaling Museum, and led corporate and foundation giving for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Kirstin attended Smith College and holds an M.Sc. in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Also On View: 40 in Focus

Guests will also have the opportunity to experience 40 in Focus: SummerStage through the Lens of Photographer Jack Vartoogian, an exhibition celebrating the 40-year legacy of SummerStage.

From 1987 to 2019, New York City photographer Jack Vartoogian captured hundreds of SummerStage performances across Manhattan parks, including Central Park, Marcus Garvey Park, and Tompkins Square Park. The exhibition features intimate and rarely seen images of outdoor live music in New York City, including backstage photographs and tributes to artists who have passed on.

Featured artists include Sun Ra Arkestra, Mavis and Pop Staples, Tito Puente, Hugh Masekela, Buddy Guy, Darlene Love, and many others.

Reception on the Arsenal Rooftop

Overlooking the Central Park Zoo, with sweeping views of Manhattan, The Arsenal’s rooftop will provide a striking backdrop for an iced tea and Pimm’s reception to close the day.

Guests will also learn more about the rooftop garden, which has been created and maintained by New York City Parks Department staff. As part of its support for the Arsenal rooftop garden, the American-Scottish Foundation will be donating and planting in the garden.

This event is presented by the American-Scottish Foundation in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA.

For questions, please contact the American-Scottish Foundation at
(929) 499-9025 or
[email protected].