How can The Merwin Conservancy effectively carry forth and cultivate the legacy, philosophy, and life’s work of Pulitzer prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and his wife Paula. To share their message is not merely a matter of preservation but inspiration. To engage donors and audience to invest in the work of the poet and the continued work of the conservancy requires careful activation to a new way of seeing. There are, perhaps, ways that we can ask the audience to contemplate the wealth of work, the life philosophy, and the courage required to find and create a place, by bringing a feeling of that place to them. This is a moment full of possibility — to harness the power of communication and imagination to create an inextricable link between imagination, nature, and a truly values-driven organization.

Margo Neely

• Thoughtful use of enviromental materials
• Innovative methods of outreach
• Using Merwin’s words as the mission
• Presenting poetry and the garden for contemplation (zen koan)
• Handwriting/handmade elements
• Modular responsive communication
• Consistent end-to-end experience
• Living his philosophy in our own unique way