I’ll be blunt. This post isn’t heavy on outside horticulture. Hell, it isn’t even heavy on horticulture. But you have to follow the muse. And the muse wanted sparkly, shiny, and glittery.

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Filed under: Horticulture

Last year, I challenged myself by biking to work on Bike to Work Day, and then attempting to bike in once a week over the summer. I’ve been waiting anxiously for the right time to start up a new season, and today was the day. I thought I’d do a bridge tour of my ride from the Monon trail down to the museum, so here it goes:

The Monon & The White River

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Filed under: Local, Travel

Winter remains in the forefront of my mind and our landscape here at the IMA.

I am not a big fan of winter as those of you who are regular readers know. But I do appreciate it. I like snow for instance, when it is not on the roads. I wouldn’t mind it on the roads if there were fewer other drivers sharing those roads. And this winter hasn’t really been all that bad. Colder than normal but not bitter. Plenty of snow but not the 50 inches my friend Avonell got in one week in Maryland. Gray days but enough sunny ones in between that you don’t forget what that heat-making yellow orb in the sky is. Not bad.

The heavy wet snow of a couple weeks back did create some problems with our junipers in front of the Lilly House. The narrow Juniperus virginiana ‘Hillspire’ just couldn’t handle that much weight on them. Two of them went pretty much flat. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Horticulture

One of the most important parts of marketing is expressing the value of the product/service that you are endorsing. Pantene Pro V makes your hair luxurious. Gillette Mach 4 razors provide the closest shave possible. Timex watches can take a lickin’. If you want shiny hair, smooth skin, or durable watches these are the products for you.

Empty Billboard

As I’ve been writing the IMA’s 2010 marketing campaign, I’ve been trying to find ways to communicate the value of the museum experience. The IMA has a tremendous amount to offer the public: educational programs that range from films to horticulture classes, collections and exhibitions that span the scope of art history, 2 historic house museums (Lilly House and Miller House), ArtBabble and a bunch of other cool online initiatives,152 acres of gardens and grounds…The list is long, and well, that’s the blessing and the curse of marketing the IMA. It’s the breadth of offerings that makes it hard to distill the IMA experience into a sound bite or tag line for radio, tv, billboards and various other media channels. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Marketing, Musings

Audience at The Toby

We have a lot to offer at the IMA: permanent galleries, Lilly House, 152 acres of gardens and grounds, exhibitions, public programs, web projects, and community outreach. After a while, it’s easy to take for granted all of the ways that the museum serves its mission. Every week I write ads, print pieces, Facebook updates, and blogs that focus on the opportunities for visitors at the IMA, but I often don’t take advantage of them myself.

Just 30 seconds from where I sit, I have an amazingly impressive collection of the world’s art, and I rarely take the time to see it. I’m not sure if it’s my hectic schedule or laziness, but it’s shameful to me how little time I spend in the galleries or at the IMA’s public programs. As a marketer, I spend my day encouraging others to experience the IMA, but I wouldn’t be doing my job well unless I do it myself. Therefore, I have recently decided to attend two public programs each month and spend at least 30 minutes in the galleries each week. It’s still not enough, but it’s a start. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Marketing, Musings