Jan 30, 2016
The Green Legacy travelling exhibit
in Canada
Barbara McKean and Laurel McIvor
Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Canada
Today’s presentation:
Goals
Virtual Tour of exhibit
Successful partnerships
Key elements to funding
Exhibit development
Travelling logistics
Lessons learned
Primary goals of exhibit:
Promote the importance of native plants and associated research
Engage Canadians across the country
Encourage partnerships between botanical gardens, museums and community organisations
Multi-functional Approach
Exhibit will travel for 4 years and then become a part of a permanent exhibit at new educational centre Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton (anticipated opening in 2006)
A virtual tour….
Series of modular exhibits:
Home and Native Landscape
Plants as symbols of national identity- flags, coins, stamps
Native Canadian Maple Trees
Map of Canadian ecoregions and typical vegetation
Provincial floral emblems
Interactive puzzle
Native Plants Create a Sense of Place
Native Plants Attract Native Animals
Interrelations of plants and animals
Plant communities as habitats
Native Plants at Risk
Species at Risk: status and recovery planning Invasive Species - threats and management “Green Gardening” techniques for naturalised,
wildlife and organic gardens
Economic Importance of Plants Yearly economic value of
Canadian plants Monetary value of wild plants Wood variety, products and
uses Commercial medicines and
products from Canadian plants
Basic Botany & Botanical Trivia
Parts of a plant
Pollination
Adaptation
Seeds & dispersal
Wall of Fame
Botanical Pursuits Canadians working for
plants
Plant research
Botanist of the Future
Careers in Botany
Local Connections
Examples of Native Plants
Plant and seed sources/ suppliers
related organisations
Partners Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton:
Education and Science Departments
Canadian Museum of Nature: Botany, Education and Exhibit Design Departments
Canadian Botanical Conservation Network
Design & Content Contractors
Elements of Successful Partnership
RBG: Access to grant money, botanical and interpretation expertise
CMN: Access to exhibit design expertise & experience with travelling exhibits
CBCN: Regional contribution and reviews
Contractors: exhibit develop expertise and dedicated time available
Key Elements of Financing: Good track record with funding
organisation
Project divided into 3 phases (years) : design and content, construction, travelling component infrastructure
Logical for same funding organisation to continue project for all three phases, but saleable to others as well
Knowledgeable and efficient contractor
Exhibit Development Several planning sessions
Broad expertise from partners
Contractor drafted the text
Complementary community workshops organised by host
Programming component is linked to school curriculum
Text is bilingual, space is limited
More detailed information on web site
Travelling Logistics Site inspections to consider variety of
space available
Considered insurance and travelling logistics
Exhibit is ideal for 1500 ft² - flexible to room shape (only one wall component)
Specially designed to be self-crating
Elements of Success “Very few exhibits about plants: great to
have one available”
Interactive components are very popular
Travelling logistics are working well
Exhibit is creating a demand for local native plant gardening expertise and related contacts
Lessons Learned
Expensive to ship (heavy)
Too large for most botanical gardens
Complementary workshops aren’t happening very often - need for follow-up
Value of web site is questionable, don’t have a dedicated web editor
For more information visit our web site:
www.rbg.ca/greenlegacy
Thank you!