Sara McCann fell in love with the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens the first time she set eyes on the lushly planted site on Barcelona Road.
Visiting the West Palm Beach landmark with her daughter Caroline on a field trip with Palm Beach Day Academy, McCann was struck by the gardens’ beauty and the interplay of Norton’s massive sculptures with the natural environment.
So when fellow Palm Beach resident Frances Fisher asked the Hive Collective founder and creative director to serve on the gardens’ board, “It was such an easy yes,” McCann said.
Three years later, McCann has been honored for her service with the ninth annual Ann Norton Award for Philanthropy at the March 22 Gardens Conservancy event, “An Evening of Music and Art in the Gardens.” McCann was not able to attend the ceremony. Her husband, Jim McCann, accepted the award on her behalf.
“It’s just a wonderful local cultural exhibit,” Sara McCann said of the gardens.
Fisher, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens board chairwoman, said Sara and Jim McCann have provided “visionary leadership” to the gardens. “We are grateful for Sara’s leadership, generosity and service to the community for over 20 years and we are proud to honor her with the Ann Norton Award for Philanthropy,” Fisher said.
Over the past two decades, McCann has served on a number of boards, including the Palm Beach Board of Realtors. Her business, Hive Collective, includes McCann Design Group; Hive Home, Gift and Garden; Hive for Her, Him & Kids; Hive Bakery & Café; and Hive Trade Showroom.
The gardens’ growth and evolution over the past few years has been exciting to watch and be part of, McCann said.
“It really has become such a vibrant place,” she said.
Even McCann’s daughter Caroline has gotten in on the family dedication to service at the sculpture gardens. “She helped out one summer translating children’s activities from English to Spanish so more children could participate,” McCann said.
McCann pointed to the board’s work with the recently completed revitalization of the Norton House, a centerpiece of the Sculpture Gardens.
It was the first restoration in a century for the house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and was the former home of artist Ann Norton and her husband, Ralph, for whom the Norton Museum of Art is named.
Work included adding hurricane impact windows and an updated climate control system, which, among other changes, allows the site to continue to play host to world-class artists. “Just to see everything come back, and now the new capabilities of what the gardens can host, it’s incredible,” she said.
“It draws in some really talented sculptors and artists and to have these large-scale sculptures mixed in with Ann’s” is wonderful, McCann said. “I can’t think of another venue that could showcase them as well as the sculpture gardens.”
She appreciates the “community-serving” aspect of the historical site, pointing to a wide range of activities for all ages. She said she’s been honored to bring her commercial experience to her work with the nonprofit sculpture gardens.
“As a retailer and as an entrepreneur, we always look for holes in the marketplace and what you can do to differentiate yourself,” McCann said. “When you look at things through the lens of where there is a hole in the marketplace, I think that it does make it a very unique experience. There is just nothing out there like the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens.”
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