Open House at The Morton Arboretum

Sunday, June 28th, is the Arboretum's Open House. This is a time when we open up our doors/labs/offices from noon until 4:00 p.m to the world! During this event, we invite you to visit the Sterling Morton Library and learn more about what we do. On the event schedule there is a wide variety of activities, but of special note (and because this is the Sterling Morton Library blog) are the activities hosted by the Library. Open house attendees in the Library will have the opportunity to:

• Meet Jim Ballowe, author of the recently published biography – A Man of Salt and Trees : the life of Joy Morton
• Discover wood engraving techniques with artist, Arlene Widrevitz
• View examples of wood engraved illustrations in our collections
• Preview our new exhibit, Darwin's Flowers: Unlocking Natural Selection
• Listen to Rabbit Ears, flute and guitar duo, in the May T. Watts Reading Garden
• Meet with Library staff to learn more about our collections
• View a selection of unusual items from our special collections that are seldom on display
  
  There will be lots of opportunities to meet Library staff and gain an exclusive perspective on our work and passion. For complete details about the event and registration information, please see:
  http://www.mortonarb.org/calendar/article/13549/member-open-house-.html
  
  Hope to see you on Sunday!

A Man of Salt and Trees : the life of Joy Morton

At last! James Ballowe’s biography of Joy Morton, The Morton Arboretum’s founder, is tantalizingly close to publication. Jim made extensive use of the Sterling Morton Library’s Archives in preparation of this work which is the first full-length biography of Morton. “Using the voluminous correspondence of the Morton family, Ballowe tells the story of the Nebraska farm boy who grew up to be a small town banker who became a leading citizen of Chicago and Illinois and a major figure in the nation’s economic and technological development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.” This biography published by Northern Illinois University Press, will be available for purchase at the Arboretum Store.

There will be several upcoming Arboretum events heralding this remarkable book:

Saturday, April 25, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Arboretum Store
Meet Jim Ballowe, author of "A Man of Salt and Trees: The Life of Joy Morton." Jim will sign copies and answer questions about his book documenting the life of Joy Morton, founder of the Arboretum and the Morton Salt Company.

Saturday, May 16, 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Thornhill Education Center
Salt, Chicago, and Trees: Joy Morton’s Life
Register for this class within the Arboretum’s Education Program to learn more about Joy’s contributions to the City of Chicago, the Burnham Plan and the State of Illinois.

Thursday, June 11, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Sterling Morton Library
Jim will join the Library’s book discussion group, Leafing Through the Pages, for a discussion of Joy Morton and this biography.

Sunday, June 28, 12 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sterling Morton Library
As part of The Morton Arboretum's Open House, Jim will be signing copies of his book and answering questions about his research. In addition to meeting the author, visitors will have the opportunity to view images and artifacts associated with Joy Morton from the Library's Special Collections.

Open House at The Morton Arboretum

For many of us, the phrase “open house” conjures up images of houses for sale or parent/teacher conferences. On Sunday, June 29th, we’ll be putting an Arboretum spin on the whole of notion of an open house by opening up our doors/labs/offices from noon until 4:00 p.m. In addition to summertime treats of ice cream and lemonade served in an expansive tent, we invite you to visit the Sterling Morton Library during this special time and learn more about what we do. On the event schedule there is a wide variety of activities, but of special note (and because this is the Sterling Morton Library blog) are the activities hosted by the Library.

Open house attendees will have the opportunity to:

• View a short film from Joy Morton’s 70th birthday party (circa 1925)
• Meet Joel Greenberg, noted author and naturalist
• Explore botanical art techniques used within Arboretum art classes and our very own collection
• Meet Carol Lerner, noted artist and author
• Learn about volunteer projects in the Library
• Visit the May T. Watts Reading Garden and find out about espalier
• Discover a rich collection of birding works
• Encounter a host of gardening and landscape design resources
• View 18th century works by Merian and Catesby
• Find out about our natural history resources
• Meet with Education staff to learn about our lifelong learning opportunities
• Listen to a children’s story

There will be lots of opportunities to meet Library staff, volunteers and other Arboretum colleagues and gain a unique perspective on our work and our passion. Complete details about the event and registration information can be found here.

Hope to see you on Sunday!