Annual Report 2022
50th Anniversary Edition
ON THE COVER
Street theater band Mucca Pazza celebrates the Garden’s 50th anniversary at The Rookery art installation near Evening Island.
“Flourish” installation at the Farm on Ogden, part of Of Earth and Sky by Luke Jerram with poet Keli Stewart
In 2022, the Garden marked 50 years of extraordinary growth with a celebration from May through September that included nature-inspired art installations, popup events, an interactive exhibition, and more. You’ll see photos and other memories from Flourish: The Garden at 50 in this special edition of the Annual Report.
We celebrated our 50th birthday amid great change. In 2022, our attendance was the second highest in history, with 1.17 million visits to our Glencoe campus. At the same time, we shifted to a general admission fee, updated our membership program, fenced off a huge construction site for our Welcome Plaza in front of the Visitor Center, and saw the return of competition from other pre-pandemic activities.
We also continued to shift the perception of the Garden from a destination to a generous idea that motivates people to get involved in preserving and protecting
our planet. We see this happening every day through our urban agriculture program, Windy City Harvest, which distributed 100,000 pounds of produce through various market channels. In addition, our horticulture, science, and urban agriculture programs continued to respond to national and international requests for insights, advice, and support. Our Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action scientists led international workshops on how to prevent the loss of genetic diversity in botanic garden collections, a process known as the “studbook” approach.
Now, building on the momentum of 2022, our staff is working on big-picture planning to set our course and shape our thinking for the next five years. We are in a strong position to maintain our trajectory of growth as we create our 2024-28 strategic plan; we know that this work will be driven by our purpose to connect people to the power of plants so people and the
planet may thrive. We’ll continue to remain curious in how we approach our work and take risks to achieve our vision—just as we did more than 50 years ago, when the Garden started out as an “impossible dream.”
In a final nod to our 50th birthday, you’ll find specially designed postcards in the back of this Annual Report. We hope the postcards will allow you to share the Garden—and your support—with others.
The Garden and its entities flourish because of your belief in our mission. As we look to the next 50 years, we want to thank you for raising your voice with ours for the plants that sustain and enrich our lives.
Jean M. Franczyk President & CEO
Michael R. Zimmerman Chair of the Board
A message from the Chair of the Board and the President & CEO
We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life.
Left: Visitors enjoyed The Rookery, a willow sculpture by Patrick Dougherty.
Right: Jean M. Franczyk and Michael R. Zimmerman in front of Symbiosis by Sam Kirk
Growing strong
To help us keep up with growing demand, we began charging admission for the first time in 2022. We welcomed 1.17 million visits to our Glencoe campus, and have offered 52 free admission days in the year since we implemented the new fee. Last year, our newest garden, the Mitsuzo and Kyoko Shida Evaluation Garden, began to shine, thanks to our renowned horticultural teams and plant evaluation program. Two major projects will improve the visitor experience this year—a Welcome Plaza in front of the Visitor Center and the Stone Family Picnic Glade in a beautiful lakeside setting overlooking the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden.
Expanding our reach
In 2022, Learning programs reached 439,000 people in 2,575 programs and events—this includes adult education, Windy City Harvest, and Budburst. Membership reached a record high, with 61,000 member households. Windy City Harvest continues to build community ties. Thirteen urban farms grew and distributed 100,000 pounds of produce, much of it staying in local communities. Windy City Harvest’s VeggieRx program, run in partnership with Chicago health centers, provided 2,300 families with boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables. Working in a new medium—local cable TV—the Garden also created a series of videos for children, “Maria’s Nature Notebooks,” which won a Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy award. The series is part of a Cook County education initiative. And our online video, “Komorebi,” capturing the beauty of light streaming through the trees, also was awarded a regional Emmy.
Supporting the Forest Preserves
The Clean Air, Clean Water, and Wildlife referendum asked Cook County property owners for a tax increase—and they overwhelmingly said yes, fundamentally reviving the Forest Preserves of Cook County and providing us with our firstever stable source of funding for annual capital maintenance needs. The referendum will bring an additional $2.4 million annually to the Garden for capital improvements. We were proud to support this initiative and pleased that voters recognize the vital role that the Forest Preserves plays in the health and wellbeing of our communities. We work in partnership with the Forest Preserves to restore and protect habitats close to home. To date, the Garden has propagated and then returned 30,000 plants to the Forest Preserves.
This page: Windy City Harvest’s Rodeo Farm
Below: Becky Barak and the
Innovations in plant science
As the changing climate continues to affect our lives, the Garden’s Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action is working to protect plants and the planet. Becky Barak, Ph.D., received a new award from the Walder Foundation to explore lawn alternatives that support biodiversity, show climate change resilience, and improve infrastructure.
Left page: Plants in the Shida Evaluation Garden continued to mature in 2022, their first full growing season.
lawn alternatives project
THE GARDEN AT
Flourish: The Garden at 50 told the story about people with big dreams, with imagination and curiosity. In these next few pages, you’ll see just a few highlights from the celebration. Our volunteers, along with our Woman’s Board, donated 1,580 hours to help make Flourish come alive.
Passenger by Cornelia Konrads
Birthday Party by Actual Size Artworks (Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades)
ADSILA by Juan Angel Chávez
Plasticus porticus by Cody James Norman
Moments to remember
“The Chicago Botanic Garden’s festive anniversary show featured something for everyone, spread out among the property’s glorious plantings and landscapes.”
Chicago Tribune: Best of 2022 Art Exhibitions
Symbiosis by Sam Kirk
Casa-Isla | House-Island by Edra Soto
A Ladder for Creeping Charlie & Bittersweet Nightshade by Faheem Majeed
Herbarium by Rebecca Louise Law
When memories are golden
As part of our birthday celebration, we had a reception for a beloved group— our 50-year members (below). More than 675 people who joined when the Garden first opened in 1972 are still members today.
“We remember back when [the Garden as it exists today] was just an aspirational drawing. The two of us said, ‘It’ll never happen’, because it was so ambitious. ‘Not in our lifetime’. We couldn’t imagine that all of that would come to be. And now to see that it’s far beyond that.”
—50-year member Lynn Keefer (pictured: Lynn and Al Keefer)
“It’s like my backyard. I’ve brought my children, and then my grandchildren, and even my great-grandchildren to Halloween. It gets bigger and better every year. [The Garden is] just a wonderful space without intrusions. You can go around and enjoy the beauty of nature.”
—June Hamer
THE GARDEN AT
Stories from the heart
At first, we weren’t sure what to expect. We asked visitors their thoughts on the Garden and ordered 1,500 cards for them to write their memories of us or dreams for our future.
Four months later, we had 13,000 cards in 17 languages. Visitors hung their cards on “talk back trees” in Regenstein Center. Their powerful messages were a testament to the power of plants, to the work that you make possible.
“Espero que el jardín está aquí por siempre.” I hope that the Garden is here forever.
“My dream is save the Earth”
Top: Visitors filling out cards with their memories of and dreams for the Garden. Bottom: Exhibition featuring key moments from the Garden’s history.
Your impact
What began as an “impossible dream” is now 28 gardens and four natural areas in Glencoe, 13 urban farm sites in the Chicago area, world-class horticulture and garden design, an internationally recognized plant conservation science research program, and popular nature-based learning programs.
Visitors 1972 20,000 2022 1.17 million Plants 1972 16,502 2022 2.78 million Employees 1972 26 2022 515 Members 1972 2,020 2022 61,000
Volunteers 1972 13 2022 680 Urban farm crops— pounds 1972 0 2022 100,000 12
During Flourish, we told a story about imagination and growing new things. Here are just a few snapshots to show how we’ve flourished over the past 50 years.
“At first, a botanic garden seemed the impossible dream.”
— June Price Reedy, past chair of the Chicago Horticultural Society’s Woman’s Board, circa 1960
Staff in front of the Welcome Plaza under construction
Windy City Harvest farm crops and participants
Garden staff and volunteers at the Model Railroad Garden
Statement of financial position
Operating revenue and other support
Operating
expenditures $50 million Complete, audited financial statements for the Chicago Botanic Garden for the year ending December 31, 2022, are available at chicagobotanic.org/annual_report.
$53 million ASSETS Cash 7.1 Pledges receivable 10.6 Accounts receivable 6.4 Prepaid expenses and other assets 0.8 Investments 163.0 Other assets 0.5 Property and equipment 126.7 TOTAL $315.0
As of December 31, 2022 (in millions of dollars) ALLOCATION OF LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS 1% EDUCATION FEES 4% MEMBERSHIP 13% VISITOR PROGRAMS & OPERATIONS 24% FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY 17% • CONTRIBUTIONS/IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS 14% GOVERNMENT GRANTS 5% OTHER GRANT & CONTRACT REVENUE 4% SPONSORSHIPS 2% RESTRICTED PROGRAM GIFTS 16% ADMINISTRATION 13% MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT 9% COMMUNICATIONS 6% VISITOR PROGRAMS & OPERATIONS 22% • • • • GARDENS & GROUNDS 24% SCIENCE AFFAIRS 14% LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT 12% • • • LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued expenses 7.4 Other liabilities 7.6 Bonds payable 49.6 Total Liabilities $64.6 Net Assets Without donor restrictions 155.1 With donor restrictions 95.2 Total Net Assets 250.3 TOTAL $315.0
Michael R. Zimmerman, Chair
Jean M. Franczyk, President and Chief Executive Officer
Fred Spicer, Executive Vice President and Director
Chicago Horticultural Society
Board of Directors
Officers and Executive Staff as of 12/31/2022
Paul Rafac, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Ivan A. Adames, Chief Development Officer
Jennifer Schwarz, Ph.D., Vice President, Learning & Engagement
Aida Z. Giglio, Vice President, Human Resources
Gregory M. Mueller, Ph.D., Chief Scientist & Negaunee Vice President of Science
Gwen VanderBurg, Vice President, Marketing & Communications
2022 Board of Directors
Dana Anderson
Rebekah K. Bader, ex officio
Matt Banholzer
Russell F. Bartmes
Carol A. Barnett
Heather Lowe Becker
Allegra E. Biery
Martha D. Boudos
Terrence R. Brady
John H. Buehler
Suzanne M. Burns
Sandy Campbell, ex officio
Robin Colburn
Jill M. Delaney
Amy DeVore, ex officio
Timothy A. Dugan
Diana S. Ferguson
Robert F. Finke
Jean M. Franczyk, ex officio
Michelle Rocha Frea, ex officio
Steven J. Gavin
Nancy Gidwitz
Christopher E. Girgenti
Ellis M. Goodman
Charles V. Greener
Joseph P. Gromacki
William J. Hagenah
Kathleen Hagerty
Jane Irwin
Samuel S. Jacobs
Gregory K. Jones
Peter Keehn
Lydia R. B. Kelley
Barbara Malott Kizziah
R. Henry Kleeman
Elena Kraus
Thomas E. Lanctot
Anne Leventry
Diane vS. Levy
Laura M. Linger
Anne S. Loucks
Michael J. McMurray
Christopher Merrill
Gregory A. Moerschel
Lois L. Morrison
Henry Munez
Jennifer J. Neighbours, ex officio
Craig Niemann
Jane S. Park
Toni Preckwinkle, ex officio
Bob Probst
Arnold Randall, ex officio
Mary B. Richardson-Lowry
Shawnelle Richie
John C. Robak
Ryan S. Ruskin
Anita M. Sarafa
Richard Sciortino
Robert E. Shaw
Andrew Sinclair
AnnaClare Smith, ex officio
Maria Smithburg
Pam F. Szokol
Ernest W. Torain, Jr.
Jean Z. Tsai
Catherine M. Waddell
Wanjiku J. Walcott
Melvin F. Williams, Jr.
Nicole S. Williams
Ernest C. Wong
Life Directors
Neville F. Bryan
J. Melfort Campbell
Barbara Whitney Carr
David R. Casper
Gary P. Coughlan
Peter R. Crane
James W. DeYoung
Thomas A. Donahoe
Peter B. Foreman
Ralph F. Fujimoto
James J. Glasser*
Caryn L. Harris
John L. Howard
Thomas B. Hunter III*
Posy Krehbiel*
William H. Kurtis
Donna La Pietra
Benjamin F. Lenhardt, Jr.
Daniel I. H. Linzer
Josephine P. Louis
Mary L. McCormack
Jeanine McNally
William E. Moeller
William A. Osborn
Homi B. Patel
Susan L. Regenstein
Anne O. Scott
David Byron Smith
Susan K. Stone
Richard L. Thomas
Ernest P. Waud III
Susan A. Willetts
Arthur M. Wood, Jr.
*Deceased
The Garden is thriving because of you—our partners, especially the Forest Preserves of Cook County, donors, members, staff, board members, and volunteers. Thank you for being part of our story.
Please share your support of the Chicago Botanic Garden with these postcards and send someone a moment of peace or rejuvenation.
Early tree planting at the Garden, circa 1972
