Interpretive Garden Exhibit Coordinator - Military Veterans

Interpretive Garden Exhibit Coordinator

The Interpretive Garden Exhibit Coordinator helps execute the vision for two âœstory gardensâ at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The story gardens are gardens of living plants with
interpretive displays, designed to communicate an individual's or community's story. In this co-creative partnership, community partners serve as co-curators who work with staff at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to design a garden that tells their story. Garden exhibits are on display for 1-2 years. The co-curators come from communities with deep ties to plants and nature, whose perspectives have been historically overlooked by botanic gardens. The goals of the project are to: 1) elevate visitors' understanding of how plants shape human lives and cultures, and 2) to encourage visitors to think about the roles that plants play in their own lives.

The Coordinator helps ensure the success of the exhibits through strong interpersonal skills,
horticultural expertise, project planning, and expertise in working with collaborators from varying cultural backgrounds. This position reports to the Manager of Interpretation and Visitor Learning at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Responsibilities:
Project management: Coordinate the horticultural planning of two exhibit gardens to align with the visions of the co-curators (40%)

• Keep track of team task list and timeline to help ensure all tasks are completed on schedule
• Maintain relationships with co-curators and other community partners by participating in meetings and site visits
• Compile project documentation for use by arboretum or peer organizations, including plant species profiles and garden maintenance records
• Work with co-curators and arboretum staff to compile plant lists and garden design
• Purchase and acquire plants for each exhibit

Garden Maintenance: help ensure that the plants in the garden exhibits are maintained to a high horticultural standard that aligns with the stories of the co-curators (40%)

• Following training by co-curators, manage each exhibit plant according to specific cultural management practices
• Complete horticultural tasks such as planting, watering, weeding, fertilizing, harvesting, trellising, and fall garden clean-up

Interpretation: Assist the Manager of Interpretation is executing the interpretive plan for two exhibits (20%)

• Give exhibit tours to groups representing a diversity of organizations, ages, and cultural backgrounds, based on guidance from co-curators and Manager of Interpretation
• Keep records of tours and other visitor interactions for evaluation purposes
• Review and install interpretive display materials
• Help gather information for interpretive materials, such as participating in oral history
  interviews, and reading library archive specimens

This is a year-round, part-time position at up to 14 hours per week. Flexible schedule to be agreed upon with supervisor. Some remote work is supported, while other tasks require on-site presence at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Required skills

• Formal training in horticulture, farming, or gardening; such as an experiential horticultural training program; or at least 1 year experience working in a farm, urban garden, or botanic garden setting
• Demonstrated experience working with audiences of varying cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Demonstrated experience with managing a project with multiple team members; including planning, tracking task completion, and communicating with partners
• Willingness to work independently, with a mix of indoor and outdoor tasks