Museum of Art Contact Heather Brown (541) 346-0942 or John R. Crosiar 346-3135 July 8, 1997 EUGENE--Seven unique private gardens will display their blooms Saturday, July 19, on the University of Oregon Museum of Art's third annual Art and the Garden Tour, an annual benefit for the museum. Chosen by local gardening expert Elizabeth Lair for their unique and particularly beautiful presentations, the gardens, all in the Eugene-Springfield area, will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tour guests will be welcomed in the gardens of Pam and Rob Roberts, Marietta and Ernie O'Byrne, Maxine and Lyle Rowan, Elizabeth and Dick Lair, Linda and Dennis Solin, Marcella and Glenn Moore, and Marilyn and Leo Stauber. Also included on the tour will be the garden created by Lair whose work has been featured in the Sunset Garden Guide and in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Nancy McMahon is co-coordinator of this year's event, sponsored by the Gourmet Groups I and II, a volunteer fund-raising committee for the UO Museum of Art. She says the gardens represented on the tour reflect a wide range of differing gardening styles. "We are fortunate in the Northwest to have a such a mild climate that gardeners are not limited in design or flower choices and are able to truly create the garden of their dreams," McMahon says. "Visitors will be able to see some of these creations and enjoy gardens of the country and city, informal and formal. No matter, there will be a garden on this tour that will inspire you." The Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane on the UO campus, will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. during the tour for visitors to come in and enjoy refreshment, a display of garden books, and floral arrangements by College Hill Quilt and Garden Works and by Island Flora. Guests also may view the current exhibition, "Precious Cargo: The Legacy of Gertrude Bass Warner," which celebrates the museum's first 65 years. Tickets, costing $10 apiece, are available at the Museum of Art, all locations of Gray's Garden Centers, Little Red Farm in Springfield, Passionflower Design, College Hill Quilt and Garden Works, Wendell's Garden Center and Down to Earth. Tickets also will be available at the gardens on the day of the tour. Tour coordinators suggest wearing good walking shoes. In case of rain, bring an umbrella, as the tour will be held rain or shine. The UO Museum of Art and Museum Store are open to the public from noon-8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon-5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Both are accessible to people with disabilities. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information about the garden tour and the museum's exhibition programs, call the UO Museum of Art, (541) 346-3027. A taped message about current exhibitions and activities also is available 24 hours a day by calling GuardLine from a Touch-Tone phone at 485-2000, ext. 5665. -30- #P-2023/A&E