The Polly Hill Arboretum on the island of Martha’s Vineyard is seeking applicants eager to gain experience in the curation and management of living collections. The Arboretum, a Martha’s Vineyard horticultural and botanical landmark, was developed by the horticulturist, Polly Hill (1907-2007). In 1958, Polly began an arboretum by sowing a seed, eventually bringing 20 acres under cultivation while preserving 40 additional acres as native woodland. Established in 1998 as a not-for-profit institution, the Arboretum is devoted to horticulture, plant-based education, conservation and research, and the preservation of the character of this unique landscape. Please visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org for more information about our programs, activities and mission.
This nine-month position is intended to provide broad professional experience for recent college graduates, and upon completion, serve as a spring board for graduate studies and/or full-time positions in curation and collections management. Curatorial Interns will receive training in curatorial/data science, plant ecology, botany, propagation, and the management of living and preserved (herbarium) plant collections. Start date is flexible but March/April 2019 is ideal. The intern works 35 hours/week, Monday through Friday, housing is provided nearby at the Nature Conservancy's 90 acre Hoft Farm.
This internship will focus on all aspects of curation and collections management. Specific opportunities will include documentation of the living collection using IrisBG plant records software, plant labeling, plant verification, collection of herbarium specimens, mapping, hands-on maintenance of the living collection, plant propagation, greenhouse and nursery management.
The ideal candidate for this position will be a recent graduate of a four-year college horticulture, botany, environmental science, museum studies or closely related program. Priority will be given to applicants with a strong interest in public horticulture and in the management and curation of woody plant collections. It is advantageous that the applicant own a car but it is not required.
A complete internship application will include a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional references formatted into a single ‘.pdf’ file.
The application deadline for the 2019 Curatorial Internship is January 18, 2019. Please submit inquiries and applications for the Curatorial Internship to Todd Rounsaville (Curator):
todd@pollyhillarboretum.org