Exhibit: "The Bell Jars: Lyman Conservatory and Sylvia Plath’s Botanical Imagination"

September 15, 2023 through June 28, 2024 at Smith College Botanical Gardens, Northampton, MA

"The Bell Jars: Lyman Conservatory and Sylvia Plath’s Botanical Imagination tells this story, shedding new light on Plath’s life and work while also examining the power of interspecies encounters between people and plants. Using archival materials and Plath’s literary work as a guide, this exhibit invites visitors to inhabit Lyman as Plath once did. Cross-pollinating the humanities and natural sciences, we hope to examine Plath’s botanical imagination and Lyman’s role in cultivating it."

For more information on the exhibit, see The Botanic Garden website at: https://garden.smith.edu/explore/exhibits/temporary-exhibits/bell-jars-lyman-conservatory-and

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Description & photo: https://garden.smith.edu/

A Night at the Garden

A nice break from studying this week was attending an event at the Lyman plant house. As you may or may not know, Smith’s whole campus is a botanical garden! At this event, I got the chance to check out the Chrysanthemum Show, make tea, and hang out with friends. 

The tea I made had ginger root, peppermint, and lemon peel. Additional activities included a scavenger hunt (with a raffle) and making body oils. This event was co-organized by the Community Health Organizers (CHOs) and the Botanic Garden Student Educators (BoGSEs). 

Events at the plant house are always some of my favorites as they are great de-stressors. Last year around this time, I attended a similar event where we made terrariums, drank tea, and ate fancy cheeses. For more flower photos, consider checking out my post on the spring 2021 bulb show.

Smith Botanical Garden, May 2022

Smith College Botanical Gardens..

I’m trying so hard to love my mother but god she makes this life so difficult- money has been right my entire life and I had to go to a college I hated because they gave me a ton of academic scholarships and I could only attend for one year so I studied my ass off and went to bed every night at 3 am doing homework and woke up every morning at 6:30 am and had an on campus job three days a week to scrap together some money, and my mom constantly reminded me that we were too poor to go on vacation or buy nice things or pay for one of the really nice colleges I wanted to go to (god I wanted to go to smith)… and now she has money and she spent 30k on a barn this year and 2500 on a greenhouse and she bought multiple fruit trees for the orchard, and my birthday is next week and we haven’t celebrated my birthday since I was 14 (when I turned 16 my friends threw a surprise party for me because I was expecting nothing at all) and I’m turning 21 this year and my mom not concert tickets to Bruce Springsteen (I hate him but she loves him so I was happy to go with her and her fiancé on the night before my birthday) and that’s really all we had been planning, but it was something- and now the tickets fell through so my mom just paid 1000 for two tickets to the same night… for her and her fiancé. Not me. I know it was never about me but she would never spend that money on me- I grew up so poor and staying behind on so many field trips or scrapping the money together myself from summer jobs and photography comissions and now she’s happy and I’m happy for her and everything is good and I’m glad, but god I can’t stop resenting her. Thirty thousand dollars on a barn. That would’ve been the cost of smith . You could’ve paid for me to go to a rebound four year college with a museum and a botanical garden and an anthropology and art history program but you dug your heels in and said we can’t afford it so I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and went to a horrible state school on full tuition waiver for one year and got my BA and had a 3.96 gpa too- and it’s fine. She isn’t obligated to pay for me, I know I sound so entitled because she doesn’t owe me anything at all and I’m successful and I have a job as a teacher in a big city and I make three times as much as my roomates and I don’t need her- but fuck I turn 21 next week and I know that she doesn’t have anything planned. Certainly nothing that costs $1000. I understood no birthday when I was 18 and we had nothing, but you CAN afford to drop that money on Bruce Springsteen tickets now…and I’m still comparing prices on jelly and eating rice and stolen lossed produce from Whole Foods and supergluing my four year old boots back together and wearing the winter coat I got in seventh grade. I feel strange and I don’t know how to articulate it. I hate my birthday. I hate that I’m turning twenty one. I hate that my students will probably make me hand drawn crayons cards on lined paper and they will be the people who put the most effort into anything for me- and I will love them so much, but I want my mom to just fucking try, yk?

Practice (at Smith College Botanic Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoI7Am6LmoH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Fwd: Job: SmithCollege.Genomics

Begin forwarded message: > From: [email protected] > Subject: Job: SmithCollege.Genomics > Date: 11 September 2022 at 05:18:52 BST > To: [email protected] > > > > Assistant Professor – Genomics > > Smith College is seeking a biologist with expertise in > genomics to fill a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor > of Biology beginning July 1, 2023. > > A strong background in the generation and analysis of genetic > and genomic data, a PhD by the time of appointment, and a > commitment to undergraduate education are essential; > postdoctoral experience is highly desirable. Teaching > responsibilities will include rotating participation in our core > courses (most commonly in our 200-level courses in > genetics), a 300-level course and associated laboratory in > genomics, and an advanced seminar in the candidate’s area of > expertise. The chosen candidate must demonstrate a > commitment to developing an active research program that > incorporates undergraduate researchers. We are hoping to > attract applicants whose research interests complement and > broaden the existing expertise in our department. We > welcome applicants working in any system (model or non- > model) whose research uses a combination of experimental > and computational approaches in pursuit of basic or applied > questions in genomics. > > State-of-the-art resources at Smith include the Centers for > Molecular Biology, for Microscopy & Imaging, for > Proteomics and for Design and Fabrication, as well as the > Botanic Garden, an accredited animal care facility including > an extensive zebrafish breeding facility, and a high > performance computing center. The new faculty member will > have opportunities to collaborate with Smith College's > programs in Biochemistry, Computer Science, Environmental > Science and Policy, Neuroscience, and Statistics & Data > Sciences. In addition, the Five College Consortium > (comprising Smith, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and > Hampshire Colleges and the University of Massachusetts at > Amherst) provides a rich intellectual and cultural life for > faculty and students, as well as opportunities for collaborative > research and mentoring of doctoral students. > > Diversity and a culture of inclusion among students, faculty, > administration, staff, and curriculum are crucial to the > mission and values of Smith College. We expect candidates to > be active participants and allies in pursuit of these goals. > Smith welcomes applicants from a range of backgrounds > including, but not limited to, those based on ability, age, > ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, > religion, sexual orientation and veteran status. Smith College > is committed to providing an accessible application process > for individuals with disabilities and encourages applicants to > request any needed accommodation(s). > > Smith College is an EO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer. > Women, candidates from traditionally excluded groups, > veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to > apply. > > Submit application at https://ift.tt/L9ZOKXB. > Applications consist of a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a > teaching statement, a research statement, a diversity > statement addressing commitment to enhancing access and > inclusion, and the names and contact information of three > potential sources willing to submit confidential letters of > recommendation on the candidate’s behalf. Please direct > any questions about the position or the application process > to Prof. Robert Dorit ([email protected]). Review of > > applications will begin on October 3rd, 2022, and will continue > until the position is filled. > > Laura Katz

The Bulb Show!!!! Every semester, Smith has a flower show--and as much as I love the Mum Show (with tons of chrysanthemums), I do have to say I like the bulb show the most as I’m partial to tulips. It’s always so beautiful and walking in is like getting hit with spring, even if it’s snowing outside! (Ironically, the bulb show often happens as Smith has at least some snow on the ground) It’s also a good opportunity to wander around the rest of the Botanic Garden. Personally, I’m counting down the days until we see a few flowers outside the Botanic Garden! Here’s hoping to a swiftly returning and warm spring :)

Bulb Show 2021

Smith is letting students in the testing program go to the bulb show! I went with my friend Sarah the other week and had a great time. It was so nice to be back in the botanical garden, and to do something so normal.

We got to explore the entirety of the botanical gardens when we were there. They’re limiting it to groups of three, so it was almost entirely empty. Last year I went to the bulb show on the opening weekend, and it was so packed that you could barely move!

Students in horticulture grow flowers for the mum show (fall) and the bulb show (spring)! Usually, there’s a competition where you can vote for your favorite plant hybrid.

My friend Sarah! We met in our first year seminar.

The Botanic Garden of Smith College

Northampton, MA

Spring 2023 Bulb Show

Since the early 1900s, Smith College has had an annual bulb show. As I’ve written about previously, the entire campus is technically a botanical garden. With the exception of my first year (when forced to return home early), I’ve had the opportunity to visit the bulb show each year. You can check out my slideshow from the spring 2021 bulb show at the respective link. This year I had the opportunity to preview the show following an opening lecture with my mom who was visiting for the weekend. While it’s wonderful to start thinking about springtime, I have to say that the past week felt pretty wintery. Nonetheless, per usual, visiting the Lyman Conservatory was a wonderful experience. The spring 2023 bulb show is open until March 19th and in addition to flowers features commissioned work from three Smith College students. I hope you enjoy the photos below! 

Smith College Botanical Gardens in Northampton, MA | March 16th, 2019

Here’s a splash of color to perk y’all up!

After class today, my friend and I met up to see the Spring Bulb Show at the Smith Botanical Garden! There were many kinds of flowers and people of all ages from the local and surrounding areas.

Visiting the botanical gardens always puts a smile on my face. I hope to take advantage of all the amazing opportunities that smith offers before I graduate! ❤️

Note: my friend Adela took all these photos. She’s a great friend and photographer.

Smith College Botanical Gardens..