/ Zoma Museum – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Subscribe

I chose to complete my internship at Zoma because it is a locally-run garden that prioritizes cultural knowledge and interaction, which is very different from botanical gardens that import plants solely for viewing. As a gardens archival & curatorial intern, I created an abbreviated inventory of some of the 100 plus native plants in the mixed garden. I then narrowed down by speaking with community members the plant selection for my project based hyperlocal plants and frequent cultural use. My aim of this project was to provide bilingual informational resources for visitors to recognize and learn about the intersection of plants, art, and culture in the context of Ethiopia. Because many of the chosen plants are native across borders, it also provided the opportunity to establish cross-cultural connections.

This was materialized through the completion of 12 plant signs and 9 digital local bird signs with original artwork. The plant signs are to display in the garden and capture the characteristics, uses, and stories surrounding the plants. My process began with identifying the plants and taking original photos for the basis of the drawings. I logged it all in a spreadsheet with different sections of information and sources. The next step was to get to know each plant through drawing. I learned the plants through their Amharic names first so that I could recognize them when they came up in conversation. The plants that did not have Amharic names, I took off of my list. This process allowed me to recognize the details of each plant and to ask detailed questions about them. Most of my early internship time was spent observing and logging, asking and logging, drawing and revising. The aim for the original art was to make sure to share my interpretation of the plant by highlighting distinct characteristics without creating a visual/naturalistic replica.

Although the artwork took plenty of time, it was key to the process of intimately learning about many unique plants. Many of the challenges I faced were out of my control. Aside from visa challenges, frequent power outages, and unpredictable tasks, I kept in my overarching goal. Having a clear purpose early on allowed me to instantly connect with my boss and establish a trusting relationship. I was able to tag along to her adventures in the city and was sent on my own road trip to Gurage to speak with an international commercial flower farmer in the countryside of Ethiopia.

I felt supported in my development because my boss allowed me to explore her development work and trusted me to view sites on my own. Although I was extremely dedicated to my personal project, the focal point of this experience was the relationships that I had built with my boss, her family, and the people I met through my project. This was invaluable because it made my world bigger than an internship experience. It also allowed me the opportunity to further refine my goals because I was exposed to many people whose overarching career and life values aligned with my own.