Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s Botanical Garden, is home to a Midwest-driven living collection. The collection highlights the Midwest spirit of place and includes native grasses, prairies and wildflowers. The landscape (just 45 minutes from city center) encompasses breathtaking vistas, lakes, windswept meadows and seven themed gardens. Beyond natural beauty, Powell Gardens provides the space needed to explore connections between visual art, the natural world, and our place in it all. We invite you to join us in 2022 for one (or more) of the new, botanically inspired educational programs highlighted here.
Artful Gardens
Explore the gardens as a gallery through Artful Gardens. Join “Docent Donna” Houtteman for a new series exploring the connection between visual art and the living collections at Powell Gardens. Participants will grow their understanding of the elements and principles of design through two-part classes featuring Zoom sessions and on-site tours. Held in conjunction with seasonal festivals, this educational series connects treasures from our local and regional art museums to seasonal plantings at Powell Gardens.
Presenter Spotlight: Donna Houttenman
With contagious enthusiasm, Donna Houtteman, owner of ART BLOCKS KC, shares her passion for art. Donna’s 22 years of experience as a docent at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art provides a perfect fit for approaching art history from an everyman’s perspective. Her fun, engaging style has proven popular in the classrooms at The Kansas City Art Institute, as well as in galleries, churches, retirement homes, Junior Leagues and the Osher Lifetime Learning Institute.
Donna fully embraced the opportunity presented by COVID. Her ART BLOCKS classes, via Zoom, have now enriched new audiences from coast to coast.
Garden to Glass Series
This new monthly series explores popular spirits and uncovers where our favorite drinks originate. History and botanical elements combine for an informative and fun hands-on mixology class. After a short presentation, attendees will shake up their own cocktail or taste test different drinks.
Lunchtime Lecture and Horticulture Happy Hour
These alternating educational moments connect attendees more deeply with the plants that surround them. Each month, highlights from our living collection will demonstrate the surprising and vital roles plants play in economics, history, culture and society. In 2022, scheduled topics include tulip mania, pollinator gardening and more.
–Laina Gunsallus
Powell Gardens is committed to providing a safe, outdoor space for our community to connect with others and the natural world. In 2022, learners of all backgrounds can find new skills, understanding, or enjoyment from robust educational offerings. To find more and register for upcoming classes, visit powellgardens.org/calendar.
