Jobs & Volunteering

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Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteer for Longwood Gardens’ upcoming Light Art Exhibit

Two exciting Volunteer opportunities for Longwood Gardens’ upcoming exhibition: Light: Installations by Bruce Munro

Help us to install the exhibition!
April - May 2012

Join us for an exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to assist with the installation of the artwork of artist Bruce Munro.

This unique opportunity will provide you with a hands-on experience as you assist Munro and his team create his first ever installation in the United States. You will be working in teams with guidance from the artist himself, his crew, and Longwood staff. Most of your work will be outdoors in the beautiful spring weather, and there will be bending and light lifting involved. We will be looking for individuals to take leadership roles to organize others to assemble the many individual components which will make up the overall display. This installation will occur in several sites throughout the gardens – from the Visitor Center to the Hourglass Lake, from the Forest Walk to the Orangery – beginning in April and continue through May 2012. There will be an additional opportunity to support the installations after they open if interested.
To find out more about this opportunity, contact Dave Thompson at 610-388-5270 dthompson@longwoodgardens.org.

Become a Longwood Light Volunteer Docent
June - September 2012

Join us and have a great time sharing this magical art installation with our Visitors. Help them experience Longwood Gardens in a new light!

What does a Docent do?

Docents are knowledgeable, enthusiastic people who act as liaisons between Longwood Gardens and our guests. As a Volunteer Docent, you will share behind the scenes information and your knowledge and love of Longwood, as you engage visitors with Light!: Installations by Bruce Munro. If you love learning new things and interacting with our guests this is the opportunity for you. For the first time iPads will be used as a great new tool for sharing and connecting with our visitors.

This Volunteer Docent team will begin interacting with visitors in June in locations around the Italian Water Garden, Forest Walk, and Meadow areas where the exhibit will be installed. There will be weekday and weekend opportunities during afternoon hours until 6pm and docents are especially needed Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 7 – 10pm. The installation will continue through September 2012.

As a team member, you will attend orientation and training sessions in May and June to learn about the exhibit and the iPad and its applications. You will also become acquainted with the eastern end of our Gardens where the installation will be open to guests. This is an opportunity for those who do not mind being on their feet, as they walk in the gardens, interacting with our guests. This will be perfect for many of our current Volunteers who wish to add a new experience, students age 17 or older, as well as teachers. This installation will only happen once, so do not miss the chance to participate.

To find out more about this opportunity, contact Dave Thompson at 610-388-5270 dthompson@longwoodgardens.org.

About Light: Installations by Bruce Munro

Longwood Gardens has commissioned UK light artist Bruce Munro to create a series of site-specific installations. Light will open in June 2012. This is Munro’s first garden installation in the US and will showcase never-before-seen views of Longwood at night.

Light will feature seven large-scale outdoor installations, two installations within Longwood’s grand 4-acre Conservatory, and a small collection of illuminated sculptures in Longwood’s historic Music Room.

Installation highlights include Forest of Light, which invites guests to wander through a serene forest of 20,000 illuminated stems reminiscent of blooming flowers. Longwood’s undulating Meadow plays host to the Water Towers, a collection of 69 symmetric towers that create a glowing maze of light that changes hues to music. Nearby, the 6,000 stem installation Field of Light beckons visitors toward its enchanting glow. Arrow Spring artfully mixes horticultural splendor and bees wax candles to create a meandering hillside stream. Inside the Conservatory, the Orangery is adorned with six grand Snowball Chandeliers suspended from the towering ceiling. Each chandelier is more than nine feet in diameter and formed by 127 perfectly uniform glass balls. Light Shower rains more than 1,600 drops of twinkling lights over the flooded Fern Floor, creating a magical reflection that intensifies the luminous shower. Finally, the Music Room will feature a small collection of illuminated sculptures and models created by Munro.

Bruce Munro is a British lighting designer and installation artist. Munro is best known for lighting installations such as Field of Light, which was first exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2004.