Program areas at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Covid-19 pandemic update: Phipps continued to move forward with its proven "regenerative" approach to transform formidable challenges into opportunities to recover, strengthen and grow the organization forward. With regenerative systems thinking, Phipps has managed the tension for change when challenges arise to reconcile these forces and create something new and fulfilling for all program partners. The conventional approach to move to compromise when encountering challenges could have resulted in losses, shuttered programs, and staff layoffs. But Phipps desired to jump start its and our community's recovery and avoid any layoffs throughout the pandemic. Continued, see schedule othis led to empowering staff to retool the organization, reach a higher potential and focus on work to make the Phipps stronger and more resilient during the crisis and into the future. In this way, every generation may find joy in the beauty of Phipps, inspiration in its Gardens, personal and community growth in its programs, and essential ways to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. Phipps was in a strong financial position prior to the pandemic, which allowed for moves to cut expenses and use reserves to survive the first few months of the pandemic. Two ppp loans totaling $2.2 million were later received and converted to grants, strengthening the organization's cash position. Other recovery grants were secured which has allowed Phipps to finish 2022 in a positive financial position and look to a brightened future. Horticulture: since opening in 1893 as the nation's first large permanent garden-conservatory, and being recognized as the first teaching one in 1901, Phipps has connected people to nature and each other through the beauty and science of plants in life-changing ways. Pittsburgh's garden-conservatory is among a select number of american alliance of museums (aam) accredited public garden museums in the u.s. with its annual cycle of five facility-wide seasonal flower shows and other cutting-edge exhibits, Phipps displays the captivating inner-world of plants to the public who may delve deeper through curated education, research, and community programming. With gardening a pastime of choice in u.s. Households, the landmark garden-conservatory museum welcomes throngs of visitors to its location in a 456-acre urban park historic district adjacent to a burgeoning research, medical and university district, the engine for pittsburgh's ranking as one of america's four innovation cities (brookings institution in 2017).the unique Phipps "learning and innovation ecosystem" encompasses 14 glasshouse and 8 outdoor garden-room exhibitories, and 3 education-facility buildings. The Phipps ecosystem has become distinguished for: introducing ground-breaking research; launching leading-edge education programs; erecting pioneering regenerative landscapes and buildings; and offering new cultural opportunities to the region and beyond. To demonstrate the essential and beneficial connection between human and environmental health, Phipps advances its mission by mounting ingenious plant-based exhibits, education, research, and outreach programming in trail-blazing green buildings and landscapes to inspire wonder and appreciation of nature.
Education: america's first public teaching Conservatory, Phipps constructs pioneering, sustainable garden rooms and buildings to combine the latest environmental knowledge, innovation and technology with award-winning operations and programming. The Phipps maker-style approach to lifelong learning dates to the garden'Gardens's earliest days as a teaching Conservatory. In maker education, learners imagine, design, and create hands-on projects that deepen and share knowledge. Today, the organization catalyzes the work of public, private, and government partners with regenerative thinking to address pressing issues in ecology, horticulture, green buildings and energy, and healthy living.continued, see schedule o.through a vibrant palette of on- and off- site, and virtual educational, research, and outreach programming, Phipps offers more than 150 classes, symposia and lectures each calendar quarter; and, Conservatory educational programs - such as kids' boot camps and the learning-by-playing fairchild challenge - and has engaged thousands of children and youth in hundreds of science and environmental literacy initiatives.an educational demonstration site, Phipps leads by example in addressing many human and environmental health issues, from building some of the greenest buildings in the world to serving healthy foods in its cafe. For example, three of Phipps' buildings are zero-energy, and all electricity used is renewable (solar-power produced on site or purchased) and all carbon produced in heating its buildings is offset. To leverage the community-impact of Gardens, museums and zoos, Phipps created the climate toolkit (climatetoolkit.org) to help these organizations share, mentor, learn and demonstrate ways to mitigate climate change.phipps' botany in action fellows program for phd candidates fosters a new generation of scientists committed to superior plant-based research and public educational engagement. To date, bia has underwritten the scientific field research and public communication training of 70 doctoral students representing 32 universities and working in 28 countries. Dynamic partnerships are ongoing with university faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students. In 2017, Phipps secured major funding to launch the nation's first research institute for biophilia and science engagement; it provides training for scientists doing biophilic research through internships, fellowships, certifications and training in science communication and outreach.
Guest services: operations are adjusting from the pandemic with visitation that is stabilizing and approaching pre-pandemic levels as we use a time ticketing approach to spread visitation throughout the day. This has resulted in a safer and much better visitor experience for our guests. Through prudent planning and countermeasures, Conservatory leadership has been able to grapple with the negative short-term financial implications; to address an evolving future, leadership remains engaged in vigorous scenario forecasting to move forward in the long term. Continued, see schedule o. At Phipps, guests encounter life-changing environmental ways of living in the tranquil nexus of ornamental horticulture and art, science, and the humanities. Woven into the region's civic identity as a premier cultural tourist attraction and acclaimed as one of the nation's finest garden-conservatory experiences, Phipps is a global garden that enriches the community by: 1) creating and cultivating beauty, advancing life's quality; 2) sharpening sustainable gardening and landscaping skills and science; 3) addressing poor nutrition in urban food deserts through a neighborhood network of household raised-bed vegetable Gardens and one-on-one mentoring support for healthier lifestyle choices; 4) growing community steam-h (stem, art, humanities and health) education through dynamic on- and off-site programming; and, 5) demonstrating how to live, work, and learn in healthy built and natural environments. A living museum, Phipps is a popular restorative destination for residents and a recognized first-day tourist attraction. Guests enter an award-winning garden-conservatory in which soaring glass pavilions whisk one away to other worlds and cultures: from tropical biodiversity hotspots to bone-dry desert, from elegant formal Gardens to blooming country lanes with flowers from england, france, japan, cuba and other countries. Guests move through curated display areas bejeweled with sculptures by renowned Botanical glass artists amidst exhibits and seasonal flower showcases. One may see smiling children in rows with hands raised high over their heads in imitation of the tropical forest Conservatory's tree canopy; inside this Conservatory hailed for its design breakthroughs, guests are immersed in a triennially featured rainforest's web of life. Leaving the tropical forest, one moves outdoors into the future - one in which the built and natural environments meet harmoniously as nowhere else, in a living campus. On this stimulating 3-acre site, three of the greenest buildings in the world - that illuminate the inextricable connections between human and environmental health - are united by an award-winning landscape and popular frog lagoon. Touring Phipps, guests share in exciting interactive exhibits, glimpse into the inner world of plants, and gain knowledge of how to meet the future's regenerative challenges. When selecting pittsburgh among the best of the world places and communities, national geographic named Phipps as the epitome of the region's transformation of its storied strengths to embrace a future of consequence.
Included in other program services are depreciation, costs for maintaining the facilities, indirect labor and overhead and other miscellaneous expenses.