Nature Journaling: A Creative Exploration of the Arboretum Landscape

Bring your enthusiasm for the natural world and leave with a creative nature journal, inspired by the trees of the Arnold Arboretum. Nature journaling is all about expressing your curiosity and wonder through sketching, calligraphy, writing, or other forms of art-making. Tap into your creativity and let yourself be surprised by the diversity of forms on display in the winter landscape.

The emphasis of this workshop is on the creative process and having fun. All levels are welcome: neither botanical knowledge nor previous drawing experience are required. Please bring any art supplies you have and enjoy working with (e.g. watercolors, pen and ink, markers, pencils). Paper plus additional art supplies and tools will be provided. Weather permitting, we will spend some time outside in search of inspiration, so dress appropriately. The artmaking component of the workshop will be held indoors.

This activity is led by botanist and nature art enthusiast Kristel Schoonderwoerd. Kristel spent many years in the living collections of the Arnold Arboretum gathering data for her PhD degree. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut and a contributor to UConn’s NatureRx initiative. 

Accessibility: The indoor portion of this program will be held in the wheelchair-accessible Hunnewell Lecture Hall. The outdoor portion will be self-guided, so you can use any paths that are accessible to you (including paved, level roads).

Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

Inclement weather policy: Participants will be notified via email at least 24 hours in advance if a program needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather, and will be notified by phone if a program must be cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice. Click here to view our full inclement weather policy. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu or call the Visitor Center desk between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209.