Stairwell Gallery: Beverly & Arthur Foster: Life and Death in a Potsdam Garden

Beverly Chesnut Foster’s compelling photographic artistry brings a hidden chapter of Potsdam, Germany, to light. From 1933 to 1945, horticulturists Karl and Eva Foerster cultivated a garden of extraordinary beauty that quietly became a sanctuary during the rise of Nazi terror. Within 3 its peaceful paths and borders, several Jewish women found a way to hide in plain sight as deportations and death camps threatened their lives. Beverly Chesnut Foster explores the tension between danger and refuge with her lens, capturing the interplay of fear, resilience, and quiet defiance embedded in the garden’s past. The accompanying narrative, written by her husband Arthur Foster, a former colleague of the Foersters and a former Berlin professor, provides historical context that deepens the emotional resonance of Beverly’s work. The exhibition will be on view throughout July during regular library hours. Lake Oswego Public Library is located at 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego. For more information, contact April Younglove at 503-534-5667 or [email protected]