For the past few months, I have had the distinct privilege of volunteering at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields and have developed an intense appreciation for not only art, but also for the culture and horticulture around me. As it turns out, I am not the only person impacted by the beauty Newfields brings to Indianapolis, but every one of the volunteers within this community as well. This year, on Earth Day, I spent the early morning with volunteers Debbie, Marnie, Karen, and Tim, along with their manager, Kelly Korte. To agree with Karen herself, this was truly a wonderful way to, “start your morning, your Monday, and your week.” I was delighted to host this interview with all of them and was even fortunate enough to stay after my session and help them remove weeds from Newfields’ parking lot botanicals.  

While in contact with Mr. Korte prior to this interview, he had shared with me that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was his alma mater, and I simply knew we were off to a great start; my family are huge Illini fans, being from Chicago. During the interview, Kelly shared with me that this is where his professional career in horticulture began, especially knowing that he, “liked to be outside and working in construction.” He ended up specializing in genetics and metabolism, which landed him in Texas working with a large landscaping company that didn’t require him to use much of his degree at all. Instead, and luckily for all volunteers at Newfields, he found that he excelled in team building, promoting him to company operations. As his relatives were located in the Midwest, Korte’s family made the decision to move here, to Indianapolis, where he stumbled upon the Newfields’ opening for volunteerism manager. His fifth year in, Kelly Korte’s official title is now, Manager of Horticulture Volunteer and Trainer.  

Utilizing his skill sets in horticulture, Kelly has curated a team of caring individuals who truly want to do right by the museum. Kelly Korte says that his job, essentially, is, “learning about people, getting to know people, and then making introductions to other people.” He really is all about community building, and there is no better way for him to do that than through volunteerism. Korte and his team see the true value in Newfields not only for this ability to harness community, but also to harness serenity of the self. Korte says that the service his team provides is a “social outlet,” where volunteers are welcome to find a “reconnection to nature,” and have “a sense of accomplishment.” Believing in the therapeutic process of horticulture itself, Kelly shares that mental health and well-being are consistently promoted amongst his team, and a strong community is built within that. He shares that his proudest accomplishment within his profession is always, “seeing people show up to the Volunteer Appreciation Events, hanging out with their friends and knowing that they are friends because of their volunteerism here.”

Volunteers enjoy each other’s company at a mixer in the Beer Garden at Garden Terrace in June 2023. 

It’s clear to me not only that Newfields Volunteerism fosters a community of joy, but also an intense appreciation for your team. A true passion of Mr. Korte’s, he shared with me that his personal mission statement is, “to create space where people have the opportunity to thrive.”  

After learning more about him, I can say for certain, at Newfields he has done just that. As we worked to pull weeds and clean the Newfields’ landscape, I consider myself lucky enough to have asked Kelly questions while receiving input from the volunteers themselves. Their response to my question, “Why do you volunteer?”, received an emphatic “Kelly!” as the response.  

Learning from Mr. Korte, the man who’s work, “fills his bucket,” I cannot say more positive things about my experience at Newfields and during this interview as well. 

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