Morton Arboretum

The Morton Arboretum will improve the visitor experience in its Asian Plant Collections by updating exhibit design and interpretation. The Arboretum will partner with the local East Asian community to hold focus groups to collect feedback on interpretive approaches. The Arboretum will work with a design consultant to develop content meeting the needs and expectations of diverse audiences. It will conduct a curatorial evaluation of the collections to guide renovation of overcrowded areas, remove overrepresented and underperforming plants, and identify plant species worthy of interpeting to visitors. An external evaluator will conduct formative and summative evaluations to measure progress in achieving visitor expectations. The fabrication and installation of the updated space will enable the Arboretum to renovate its China, Japan, and Korea collections with new interpretation and develop gathering places for audiences to form a more meaningful connection with plants.