Walking into the Brooklyn Botanic Garden initially feels like walking into a wealthy private residential community, complete with a fancy gate and security guard station. One of the first things I noticed upon entering was a small sign that read “Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a museum of living plants.” Before that moment I had never considered that a garden could be a museum, though I knew that a museum could have a garden. The second thing I noticed was a long and narrow expanse of grass that looked like a giant lawn. My impulse was to walk straight through it, but because there were people on it’s perimeter and not actually on the grass, I hesitated. I looked down for a “Keep Off Grass” sign, but didn’t find one. Surely if they didn’t want you touching something, it would be clear. I still wasn’t convinced and decided to explore that later and go through a paved pathway. That was the moment I had a sense of museum-ness; the feeling that I could look, but not touch.

Overall I felt like I was in a public park; being outdoors in a landscaped area, the benches, the fountains, the statues, and the people wandering or lounging about. The distinguishing difference was that this park had lots of labeled flora, gates around it, and an admission fee. And unlike most museums, there weren’t many lengthy descriptions, not many security guards, nor did it have a way to get to or find a bathroom easily. However, it did have subtly dynamic displays, lots of natural light, awesome smells, freely roaming wild things (or creatures rather), plenty of things you could touch, and a great view of the sky.

After an hour of wandering around, I found the visitor center, which had a bathroom. Centered was a kiosk of printed info, similar to the security kiosk at the Eastern Parkway entrance. The lone attendant had left her post as I was entering and was gone the entire time I was there. On the walls surrounding the kiosk were a series of uninteresting glass displays filled with what looked almost like magazine or brochure tear sheets. Behind the kiosk was a diorama of the garden that was unlit and difficult to view and read. The visitor center felt like it was deliberately designed to compel you back outside, so you could experience the garden as it was intended,.

Navigating through the website, it’s revealed that the visitor center is being redesigned and scheduled to open in 2011. I appreciated that the Garden Hours are posted on the home page of the website and is one of the first things I saw. And it took only two clicks to get to the detailed directions. I personally found the website easy, informative and clear compared to my experience with the Met Museum’s site.

Perspectives

If I were someone in a wheelchair, I don’t know that it would be worth my dollars to pay admission to the garden. I could get around easily on the paved paths, but that would limit what I could see. There are narrow dirt paths, inclines and steps that definitely not wheelchair friendly. Experiencing some nature is great, but I could just as easily go to Prospect Park nearby, which has more paved paths and is completely free.

As someone who speaks no English, I think I would still enjoy the Garden. I don’t really need detailed descriptions of the plants and trees. Even though they’re labeled, they’re just names anyway and most don’t say much more. Unlike a typical natural history museum, I can enjoy the exhibits because they are alive and somewhat natural (because they’re artificially arranged) and not necessarily recreated versions of the real thing. They are the real thing.

Observing the toddlers that were in the garden, it seemed they were enjoying themselves way more than being in any other kind of adult-centric museum. It’s basically a park to them, but with more visual effect. Walking through the rose garden, this little girl of about two years was “Oohing” and “Ohhing” with great exclamation at every other rose. The displays are colorful and interesting and there are smells and crawling creatures along with them, making it all the more interesting.

I loved the garden. I loved finding curious nooks, winding paths, and places where I could stretch out and lay down. What other kind of museum would you find people sitting on the ground or doing yoga undisturbed?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 12:25 am and is filed under Cabinets of Wonder, ITP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.