Thanks to the RHS Bursary, I was also able to attend this conference at Garden Museum.  Speakers included:

• Neil Davidson, Landscape Architect/J&L Gibbons re Urban Nature Project at the Natural History Museum.
• Dr Paul Kenrick, lead scientist at Urban Nature Project at the Natural History Museum.
• Nathalie Glaser, Head of Corporate & Private Events, V&A.
• Katy Merrington, Cultural Gardener at The Hepworth Wakefield Garden.
• Peronel Craddock, Director of Content (Interim), Horniman Museum and Gardens.
• Edwina Sassoon, Garden Museum Trustee.
• Tom Stuart-Smith, Garden Designer at The Hepworth, Wakefield.
• Abigail Viner, Director of Creative Programmes and Engagement, Compton Verney.

How can green space outside a museum be used to build audiences and connect them with collections? How can they support income generation, commercial activity and the development of a sustainable business model? And what role do museum gardens have in the development of local cultural placemaking?

Main takeaways from the conference:

• How aftercare is as important as the design itself. Investing in a gardener(s) is key.
• Seasonal changes = repeat visits.
• How these spaces contribute to wellbeing and making people feel welcome/that they belong.
• Gardens are dynamic, museum collections are not.
• Care is epic and important.
• Increasing biodiversity and education on climate emergency as key outcomes.

Was interesting to hear Abigail Viner (Compton Verney) talking about heritage & contemporary art, exploring new narratives/perspectives and displaying artworks to engage audiences with hidden histories. Particularly, as I’m thinking about the garden itself as a form of archive (where the plants tell stories from the past; information becomes seeded and transmitted through the plant life the garden contains) plus, how gardens can reveal forms of knowledge and ways of being that are often left out of traditional archives/historical records.