
Miles Schwartz Sax, Assistant Curator
Contact
- Address:
- 125 Arborway
Boston, MA 02130 - Email:
- milessax@fas.harvard.edu
Biography

As the Assistant Curator, I am the central manager of The Arnold Arboretum’s Campaign for the Living Collections, its plant exploration and acquisition initiative. This work uses a combination of floristic, herbarium, archival and digital assets to undertake our plant exploration program across temperate regions of the world. With a particular focus on the floras of North America and East Asia, this entails building collaborations with botanical institutions, universities and governmental partners. I engage in collections-based scholarship utilizing our various curated resources to delve into research topics relating to horticulture, conservation and curation.
A native of Western Massachusetts, its hills and valleys instilled in me a passion for the natural world, woody plants and public gardens in particular. My graduate studies research focused on topics relating to arboriculture, urban soils, propagation, conservation and public horticulture. Throughout my professional journey, I’ve had the privilege to work in a series of botanical institutions including the Morton Arboretum, Cornell Botanic Garden and Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden in South Africa. Prior to joining the Arnold Arboretum, I served as Director of the Connecticut College Arboretum and as an adjunct assistant professor in botany.
Public gardens represent to me the highest manifestation of the human capacity for intellectual creativity intertwined with the beauty and mystery of the natural world. These landscapes provide opportunities for visitors to immerse themselves in nature and make deep meaningful connections. Through the curatorial lens, I strive to share the stories behind the plants in our landscape with the hope that they spark adoration and active support for protecting the biodiversity of our planet’s arboreal flora.
In my free time, you will find me exploring New England’s natural areas on bike, skis, canoe, or with a backpack. I enjoy cultural arts, museums, and playing live music as a guitarist and mandolin player. I live in Jamaica Plain with my wife and our Australian shepherd dog, Kauri.