Dates: June 4-8, 2015
Take part in one of Emily Dickinson’s favorite pastimes—gardening! Join us for our annual effort to prepare the Museum’s historic grounds for summer. Volunteers with all levels of experience are welcome to plant, weed, and beautify under the direction of landscape historian, Marta McDowell, author of Emily Dickinson’s Gardens.
Volunteer!
To sign up to volunteer, click here!
GARDEN DAYS SCHEDULE
Thursday, June 4
Amherst Art Walk – Garden Days Kickoff Event!
5 pm Garden Volunteer Meet up and Orientation
Learn about this year’s volunteer projects from Executive Director, Jane Wald. Hear how you can become part of the EDM’s Garden Volunteer Corps and help to maintain the Dickinson grounds through the seasons. Newcomers and returning volunteers welcome!
5 – 7 pm Art in the Garden
Enjoy art-making en plein air. Awaken your creativity on the grounds that inspired Dickinson.
6:45 pm Amherst Art Walk Poetry in the Parlor.
Amherst-area poets Seth Landman and Kelin Loe will read from their most recent works in the Homestead parlor as part of our monthly participation in the Amherst Art Walk.
Friday, June 5
8-4 pm Historical Archeology Field School Observation
Talk with archeologists working at the site of the Dickinson family barn and the conservatory site.
To learn more about the field school, click here.
9 am – Noon AND 5:30-7:30 pm Volunteer Shifts
Sign up to volunteer.
Saturday, June 6
8-4 pm Historical Archeology Field School Observation
Talk with archeologists working at the site of the Dickinson family barn and the conservatory site.
To learn more about the field school, click here.
9 am – Noon Volunteer Shift
Sign up to volunteer.
3 pm Tour of Dickinson’s Garden with Landscape Historian, Marta McDowell.
Learn about the grounds from author of Emily Dickinson’s Gardens.
4-6 pm Volunteer Shift
Sign up to volunteer.
Sunday, June 7
9 am – Noon Volunteer Shift
Sign up to volunteer.
Tour the Dickinson Homestead
As a thank-you to our volunteers; please enjoy a tour of the Homestead on us! Offer for garden volunteers only. Tours at 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm.
4:30 pm History of Conservatories in the U.S., a talk by Marta McDowell
A reception to thank our volunteers will follow.
Monday, June 8
9 am – Noon Volunteer Shift
Sign up to volunteer.
ABOUT MARTA MCDOWELL
Marta McDowell lives, gardens and writes in Chatham, New Jersey. She teaches landscape history and gardening at the New York Botanical Garden, where she was named “Instructor of the Year” in 2011. Her book, Emily Dickinson’s Gardens, was published by McGraw-Hill in 2005, and she was an advisor for the New York Botanical Garden’s 2010 show. Her latest book, Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life, was published by Timber Press in 2013. Marta is active in the Chatham Community Garden and is on the board of the NJ Historical Foundation at the Cross Estate in Bernardsville. Her husband, Kirke Bent, summarizes her biography as “I am therefore I dig.”
ABOUT SETH LANDMAN AND KELIN LOE
Seth Landman is the author of four chapbooks and the full-length poetry collections Confidence (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2015) and Sign You Were Mistaken (Factory Hollow Press, 2013). His work can be found in Boston Review, iO, Jellyfish, Lit, and elsewhere. He received his PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Denver (2013) and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts (2008) where he is currently an Academic Advisor in Humanities and Fine Arts.
Kelin Loe is the author of These Are The Gloria Stories (Factory Hollow Press 2014) and the chapbook The Motorist (minutesBOOKS 2010).She lives in Northampton, MA, and is working towards a PhD in Rhetoric at UMass Amherst.