Arnold Arboretum

Compost Compendium

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Conor Guidarelli, Horticulturist, Arnold Arboretum

[Arnold Arboretum, Weld Hill Building and Landscape]

Horticulturist Conor Guidarelli manages the Arnold Arboretum’s organic materials recycling area and has recently improved the production and quality of the resulting compost. Conor will discuss the components of compost and the nutrients that can be returned to a site when compost is applied. He will explain the mix of brown to green materials, moisture, and aeration. Class participants will start in the classroom and then travel to the Arboretum’s materials yard to see compost in various stages of development. Fee $30
Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

Arnold Arboretum

Family Hike: Get Ready For Winter!

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Nancy Sableski, Manager of Children's Education
Families need nature at all times of the year! Meet inside the main gate at the Visitor Center. We’ll learn how Arboretum animals get ready for winter. Go on a StoryWalk, get a tattoo, and make a winter home for your favorite animal! Free and open to all, most suitable for children ages four through ten.

Arnold Arboretum

Art Reception – The Light You Cannot See: Infrared Photography by Betsey Henkels

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Join our exhibiting artist, Betsey Henkels, for a reception in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall on Saturday, October 26, 1:00-3:00pm. Exhibit runs October 25, 2019 – February 2, 2020

Betsey Henkels uses the camera to explore the world in two ways–first by noticing and appreciating objects that she might otherwise overlook, and second, by transforming ordinary scenes into prints that are compelling and unexpected. Henkels spent many hours in the Arboretum, photographing tree canopies, bark, and above ground roots in infrared. Infrared is magical and mysterious. The photographer shoots images without knowing exactly what will show up in the print.

Arnold Arboretum

Photography with Chris Morgan

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Saturday, November 2, 1:00–4:00pm; [Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building]

In this program, professional photographer Chris Morgan will discuss his photographic interests and methods in the classroom and then move outdoors to demonstrate his techniques. Class participants will be able to learn alongside Chris, evaluating views, debating camera angles, and considering focal points in order to shoot better images. Participants should bring their preferred photographic device. 

Fee $36; Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277. When photographing, Chris draws on his background in the sciences and the humanities. He's a computer scientist as well as a musician and writer.

Jamaica Plain

Smartphone Photography: Capturing the Colors of Autumn

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Nancy Katz, Professional Photographer

3 Wednesdays: October 16, 23, 30 1:30–3:30pm
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building and Landscape

Capture the drama of fall, when landscapes present a vivid array of colors and the palette is most striking. Professional photographer Nancy Katz will introduce fundamental concepts of landscape photography and then teach techniques for getting the best photographs from your smartphone camera. You will capture images in dynamic color and muted shades, then learn to enhance them using a host of editing tools provided in the Snapseed App. For best results, bring your smartphone and a commitment to completing the weekly homework assignments. Class will take place indoors and out.

Arnold Arboretum

Woodturning Demos: The Art of the Woodturner V

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October 19 – October 20, 2019

Woodturning Demonstrations:

11am, 1pm, 3pm in the Hunnewell Building;

All day on the Hunnewell Lawn

With the use of a lathe, woodturners turn out practical, functional pieces or “turn” to the purely aesthetic. Each craftsman brings their own personal artistic vision to the objects they create, and the pieces in maple, cherry, and other wood from far and near (look for work turned from Arnold Arboretum deaccessioned trees), offer a unique look at the “personality” within the wood itself. The Association of Revolutionary Turners (ART), Central New England Woodturners, Massachusetts South Shore Woodturners, as well as Harvard Woodturning students, have come together for the fifth year for this Arnold Arboretum exhibition and will bring their own creativity and technical expertise, displaying more than 60 unique pieces for utilitarian use and aesthetic enjoyment. Join us as members demonstrate their skill working the lathe throughout the weekend. Additional Woodturning exhibition in the Hunnewell Visitor Center, Oct.

Arnold Arboretum

Art Reception – Turning Wood: The Art of the Woodturner V

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Join Arboretum staff and members of the Woodturning clubs for this evening reception. Talk to the artists about the exhibition and the wonderful work on view. Enjoy refreshments in the Hunnewell Visitor Center. Woodturning has a long history, going back to 1300 BC Egypt. Unique in relation to most woodworking, due to its use of a lathe, woodturners turn out practical, functional pieces or “turn” to the purely aesthetic.

Arnold Arboretum

Plants Go to War: A Botanical History of World War II

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Join us at the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum for a talk by Judith Sumner, PhD,  botanist, and author of Plants Go to War - the first botanical history of World War II. As the first botanical history of World War II, Plants Go to War examines military history from the perspective of plant science. From victory gardens to drugs, timber, rubber, and fibers, plants supplied materials with key roles in victory. Author and botanist Judith Sumner will speak of the many plants that were incorporated into wartime safety materials, diet and rations, and even bombers. Free, but registration requested
Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

Activism

Art Workshop: Creative Climate Commitment with Susan Israel

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Susan Israel, AIA, LEED AP, President and Founder, Climate Creatives

Saturday, September 28, 9:30am–12:30pm
[Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building]

 

What will motivate you to do more about the climate crisis? Perhaps something fun and visible? What is preventing you from acting? Maybe fear, and lack of belief that your actions matter? Susan Israel founded Climate Creatives to use art and design that engages people in change because data alone doesn’t do it: behavioral change begins with an emotional commitment.