Sat Oct 14, 02023, 6:00PM UTC
Jim Gorman
The Long Now of Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a place where time takes on a profound and contemplative dimension. We will tour the grounds with Jim Gorman, arborist and educator, focusing on the fascinating history and hopeful future of this important place in American history.
Event summary coming soon!
Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a place where time takes on a profound and contemplative dimension. Established in 1831, it is not merely a burial ground but a testament to the enduring human connection with nature and the concept of deep time. This serene landscape was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted as America's first rural cemetery, emphasizing a harmonious blend of art, horticulture, and memorialization. Its carefully landscaped gardens, historic monuments, and diverse flora invite visitors to reflect on the long-now ideas of legacy and the continuity of life beyond individual existence. In recent years, Mount Auburn has encouraged citizen science programs in ecology, urban wildlife and biodiversity.
We will tour the grounds with Jim Gorman, arborist and educator, focusing on the fascinating history and hopeful future of this important place in American history.
The tour has a hard limit of 30 people, so please reserve early to ensure your place for this unique event.
We will meet our guide at 2pm near the fountain in Asa Gray Garden, but come early and mingle with other Long Now people. Asa Gray is visible just ahead and to the right if you enter the cemetery through the Main Gate off Mount Auburn Street. It is a circular garden located just below the palatial looking chapel that stands on a hill, greeting everyone as they arrive. Parking is available in the cemetery where not otherwise indicated, as long as the road is not marked with a central green line and all four tires are left on the pavement and off the plantings. It's best to arrive a bit early to allow some time to find parking at this busy time of year.
Among the questions the speaker will address:
• How can cemeteries become keepers of cultural heritage?
• How can we design public spaces that are sustainable and remain significant over generations?
• What roles can connection with the natural world play in the endurance of monuments and memorials?
• What lessons can we learn from the long history of Mount Auburn when thinking about cultural change and preservation?
Join the conversation and be part of the solution.
$15 in advance only. Students w/ID admitted free. Members may use their member code for up to 2 admissions.
Audience participation is encouraged.
[Image credit: Bostonian13, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons]
Jim Gorman is an educator and arborist and has worked at Mount Auburn Cemetery for well over a decade. Prior to his tenure at Mount Auburn, Jim was at the Arnold Arboretum and he has a very interesting perspective on the history of our landscape and a unique view of what the future might hold for spaces like Mount Auburn.
Jim Gorman
