Place-Based Engagement

Manages over 500 linear feet of archival materials in a newly designed facility, improves stewardship through enhanced collections management and digital access, and makes materials available to researchers online with updated finding aids. Houses the archive of the landscape architecture firm Innocenti & Webel acquired in 2021.

Continues the Catalyst Program by commissioning site-specific contemporary artworks such as "Follies: A Botanical Backstory" by Procedural Arts Workshop in 2024 and annually displaying sculptures in the Blue Garden during springtime. Also introduces new landscapes that reimagine the concept of a garden.

Produces and distributes free digital learning kits for educators and families, including themed resources such as holiday ornament-making, Nature Detectives, Bird Explorers, and Modern Industrialists kits, designed for learners from PreK through 12th grade to support remote or supplemental learning.

Provides educational programming for thousands of school-aged children annually through field trips aligned with New York State curriculum standards, including Junior Ranger field trips, Coe Kids historical treasure hunts, and Natural Sensory Adventure programs. Offers themed, tour-based field trips and in-classroom programs for grades 1–12 focused on history, horticulture, and science.

Provides free or reduced admission to individuals with SNAP benefits through the Museums for All program and offers year-round free admission to active duty military personnel, National Guard, Reserve, veterans, and their families through the Blue Star Museum program. Also provides free parking, free tours for up to six people, and a 10% Museum Shop discount to participants in the Museum Library Pass Program.

Funds external institutions through grantmaking, including a $750,000 donation to the University of Wyoming.

Offers guided and self-guided tours of the historic main house, greenhouses, gardens, and special exhibitions year-round for the general public and pre-arranged groups, including private tours for groups of 15 or more by appointment. Provides tours in Spanish and Chinese upon advance request and offers sign language interpreters for tours and events upon request.

Documents the transformation of Planting Fields from a private estate to a public park and the formation of the Planting Fields Foundation, supporting institutional memory and public understanding of its historical significance.

Co-developed and published a guidebook and facilitated public access to 15 Olmsted-designed sites on Long Island in partnership with The Cultural Landscape Foundation, expanding regional awareness of historic landscape architecture.

Operates the Main House Visitor Center, Main Greenhouse, Camellia House, and park grounds for public access multiple days per week, with daily access to the park from 9am to 5pm except on December 25. Provides wheelchair accessibility across paved roads and select paths, and ensures accessibility in key structures including the ground floor of the Main House, Sensory Garden, Camellia House, Hay Barn, Conference Center, and restrooms near the Main Greenhouse.

Hosts annual public festivals and events including the Camellia Festival, Arbor Day celebration (Branches in Bloom Festival), Home for the Holidays, Planting Pride, Spring 5K, Fall 5K, and a week-long series celebrating the bicentennial of Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., attracting over 7,000 visitors. These events feature live music, crafts, seasonal activities, and themed runs on woodland trails.

Offers hands-on science and nature-based activities including a wildlife detective scavenger hunt, frost-in-a-can experiment, pinecone weather prediction, fall foliage exploration, sundial creation, Birder Bingo, bee hotel building, and pollinator education through puzzles, games, and art to engage learners of all ages.

Organized a two-day symposium convening experts to examine the residential projects of the Olmsted firm from 1857 to 1979, advancing scholarly dialogue on landscape architecture history.

Hosts guided tours, lectures, family workshops, school programs, and special events to engage diverse audiences with the history and culture of Southampton. Offers outreach to schools, libraries, and community organizations and provides free admission to exhibitions and historic sites.

Curates and hosts temporary exhibitions at historic sites, such as the Stephen Sayre exhibition at Rogers Mansion Gallery, with free public access. Exhibitions are part of ongoing efforts to interpret and share local history.

Operates and maintains four heritage sites comprising 14 historic structures, including the Rogers Mansion, Halsey House & Garden, Conscience Point Historic Site & Nature Walk, and the Pelletreau Silver Shop. Ensures year-round public access to grounds and gardens and conducts preservation and maintenance activities at these sites.

Runs a gift shop at Rogers Mansion offering history-themed merchandise, a seasonal thrift shop in the Nugent Carriage House, and the Pelletreau Silver Shop featuring hand-made jewelry by an artist-in-residence. Also offers jewelry-making lessons. Proceeds support museum programs and garden maintenance.

Manages an archive and research center with over 2,000 library volumes, 3,000 objects, and 560 cubic feet of archival material related to the history of greater Southampton, NY. Activities include preserving, cataloging, digitizing, and making these materials accessible for research and public education.