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Curator's Corner
Mark Fisher–Foreman of Conservatories
Mark Fisher, Foreman of Conservatories
Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Steinhardt Conservatory is a passport to the flora of the world, offering visitors the extraordinary opportunity to navigate from a tropical rainforest to a desert landscape, from an aquatic oasis full of exotic orchids to a warm, temperate garden, and from a world-class bonsai museum to seasonal botanical displays. The $25 million, 25,510 sq. ft. greenhouse complex houses a large portion of BBG's extensive collection of plants (4,500 taxa) in environments that re-create a range of global habitats. By housing plants from different parts of the world, the Conservatory connects people to plants in an exciting and immediate way. Visitors are often thrilled to find plants native to their distant homelands, and because plants are closely linked to food and culture, the Conservatory brings plants to life for people from all around the globe.
A living exhibit that must be painstakingly maintained, the Steinhardt Conservatory is overseen by foreman of conservatories Mark Fisher and his staff of six curators. Since first joining BBG in 1983, Mark has served as an intern, instructor, and curator of the Desert Pavilion before assuming his current position as foreman in 1995. Mark hopes that the conservatory experience transforms the visitor's perception of plants as they observe the spectacular diversity and learn about the important uses of these plants from around the world. At the same time, Mark notes that upon stepping indoors, visitors immediately sense the dramatic difference between the outdoor collections and the unique experience of the Conservatory, which offers an element of surprise and wonder due to the international scope and constant change within the pavilions.
Steinhardt Conservatory
According to Mark, the Steinhardt Conservatory is designed to maximize the visitor's enjoyment of plants in everyday life around the world. "The Conservatory is meant to be a comfortable 'jewel of a place' where visitors can meander at their leisure and learn how plants are enjoyed and used across the globe,. Each plant is labeled with the botanical and common names, origins, and in some cases their uses," explains Mark. "The Conservatory space itself provides an enriching experience, allowing visitors to be immersed in an intimate environment without feeling overwhelmed, yet it's large enough that visitors can make decisions about what they want to see on a return visit."
The environmental conditions of each pavilion must be kept in perfect balance. According to Mark, "The Conservatory's specialized greenhouse control system regulates temperature and ventilation, allowing us to meet the diverse climatic conditions for the plants." He adds, "This system also helps the Garden to operate in an environmentally positive way, achieving better plant growth while saving time and money. In addition, beneficial insects are used to control greenhouse pests such as aphids, whitefly, and mealybug."
The nature of the indoor living collections presents some challenges unique to conservatories. Because space is limited, the foreman and curators make difficult decisions to strike a balance between maintaining the permanent displays and expanding the collections through new acquisitions. "As curators, we are always looking to expand the collection—seeking the unusual or extraordinarily beautiful plant that will elicit the 'Wow' factor as well as enhance our existing plants. However, it is also important to maintain the integrity of the permanent displays." Mark explains, "Many people 'adopt' a favorite plant in the Conservatory. They become emotionally attached to a plant and follow it through its growth cycle, flowering, and fruiting and will come back each season just to visit that plant. We encourage this commitment and affection, because we want visitors to be just as passionate about these plants as we are." Nevertheless, Mark and his staff work diligently to keep the collections dynamic, by researching new plant acquisitions and by designing seasonal displays. "It's important for us to keep the Conservatory fresh and exciting so that there is always something new for the visitor to look forward to. For instance, curator Susan Aument often refreshes the Entry House by regularly changing the container displays, and every winter we install a new holiday horticulture exhibit with a different theme conceptualized by gardener Jennifer Williams."
Aquatic House
As a botanic garden devoted to education and research, BBG curators follow mission-driven guidelines outlined in the Garden's plant collections policy to acquire plants that have horticultural, educational, and scientific value. For instance, the focus of the tropical pavilion is economic and ornamental plants—plants like vanilla and cola that have practical uses for food, medicine, and fiber in addition to plants such as heliconias, crotons, gardenias, and ferns, that add visual interest. To increase plant diversity, BBG Curators participate in a seed exchange with botanic gardens all over the world, which allows BBG to propagate rare and international plants.
According to Mark, the career of the BBG curator is multifaceted and always fulfilling. "I love what I'm doing, and I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to learn and be continuously challenged. The job is always changing and exciting because so many fields are connected to plant science, such as math and engineering." A graduate of Colorado State University with a B.S. in ornamental horticulture, Mark has always had a love of greenhouses. Another favorite part of being a BBG curator is the chance to interact with visitors. "All of us have a desire to know what the visitor is looking for—we want our visitors to be as excited about the plants as we are, so we constantly engage people, particularly children—who love the big tropical plants that feel larger than life, and or the desert plants, which seem mysterious and alien to those of us who live in a colder, urban area." The camaraderie among the culturally diverse BBG staff is also enhanced by its mutual connections to the plants. "BBG staff love to share different ways to use plants from their home countries. Often we'll exchange recipes and someone may even prepare an international dish from fruit from the greenhouse."
Warm Temperate Pavilion
Mark feels especially excited to work with greenhouses at a time when their existence is particularly crucial. "As our awareness of conservation issues heightens, conservatories will become increasingly important. Conservatories are unique in that they can grow plants that might otherwise be lost." He adds, "I foresee that the conservatory will be used even more frequently as a teaching tool to make the connection between classroom teachings and the real world. The conservatory has the power to transport students and visitors to another world that is outside of the everyday. Where else in Brooklyn can you see a 15-foot-long African oil palm or a 30-foot-tall banana plant? When children can see and smell these spectacular plants, and when they learn about how important the plants are for their survival, they can better understand the consequences of losing the plants that are truly essential to life."