Development Communications Intern Amanda Clegg (Fall 2026) recently spoke with Stephen Pritchett, Museum Landscape and Maintenance Coordinator at the Harn, to learn more about his role. The Harn’s outdoor landscaping is one of the first things visitors see when they arrive, and Stephen plays an important role in setting the tone for the museum and helping create a positive visitor experience.
Learn more about his insightful perspective!
What does a typical day working as the Harn’s Museum Landscape and Maintenance Coordinator look like?
A typical day for me includes ensuring the front entrance and visitor-access areas outside and in are presentable. This could include weeding, trash cleanup or pruning. From the time I arrive until I leave, I am also on call for anyone doing building maintenance and repair. This includes escorting them into and out of secure areas until their work is done.
How does the landscape around the museum contribute to visitors’ experience at the Harn?
The Harn landscaping has the purpose of preparing visitors for what they are about to experience in the galleries– a time of personal reflection and examination of our exhibits. I believe the landscaping should barely be noticed at the front entrance. That is, nothing should really stand out as distraction. The landscaping and especially the water feature should sooth, should serve as a separating catalyst from one busy, frantic world into the Harn’s world of quiet.
What made you pursue a career in landscaping and maintenance?
I’m an English major from UF, and I wanted to be a writer. I even left the rat race and moved to the mountains of North Carolina for a while to pursue that. The small town I was in had absolutely nothing for a writer to do, so I learned landscaping from a neighbor who had a business. I’ve been in it ever since– about 15 years of it!
What’s something you like to do for fun in your free time?
In my free time, I customize Hot Wheels-scale vehicles and build model cars. I usually make dioramas or small pieces of the world for them to sit in. I love miniatures!
Do you have a favorite artwork at the Harn?
My favorite artwork at the Harn is George Grosz’s Manhattan in the Modern Collection. I loved reading John Dos Passos’s Manhattan Transfer in one of my American Lit classes, and this painting perfectly captures the energy of that book–and the city itself. Half sky and half the burbling, rumbling, racing city like a gargantuan forest of steel and brick and wires.
