We’re excited to announce that ASLA-MN is hosting a firm tour this fall! This will be a great opportunity for students and professionals in early stages of their career to visit local landscape architecture and design firms, learn more about different practice areas, see how firms work, and connect with professionals in the field.

Details

Date: Tuesday, September 29
Time: 9:30 AM–3:00 PM
Firms:

• Damon Farber

• Bolton & Menk

• Coen+Partners

• Mend Collaborative

We’ll visit each firm throughout the day, with time for an office tour, firm/project presentations, and Q&A with the professionals. Lunch will also be provided during the tour.

If you’re interested in joining, please register by September 25. We’ll share the final schedule and additional logistics with registered students ahead of the tour.

For questions, please feel free to contact:

Yuqi Yan — yyan@oaala.com

Meichun Jia — meichun@coenpartners.com

We hope you can join us and look forward to seeing you there!

Art is back! ✏️🎨

ASLA-MN is excited to bring back Art Month for its second year!

As landscape architects, sketching has always been at the heart of our craft. Even as digital tools continue to shape the way we design, there’s something special about putting pen, pencil, or brush to paper. This month, we’re celebrating the creativity, spontaneity, and personal expression that freehand sketching brings to our profession.

Whether it’s a quick pencil doodle, an ink study, a watercolor sketch, or something completely unexpected - we want to see it!

Share your work with us for a chance to be featured on ASLA-MN channels and win a Blick Art Materials gift card! 🏆


HOW TO ENTER
1. Register: Fill out this short form to sign up.

2. Sketch: Make anything quick and freehand — Pencil, pen, marker, watercolor, colored pencil — whatever inspires you.

3. Submit: Email 1–3 images (JPG or PNG) to:

Yuqi Yan — yyan@oaala.com
Meichun Jia — meichun@coenpartners.com

Deadline: September 4 at 10:00 AM CT
Subject: ASLA-MN Art Month — Your Name
Please include title, medium, and 1–2-sentence note
Optional: If files are large, share a Drive/Dropbox link.
Pro tip: Name files Lastname_Firstname_Title.jpg.

4. Sharing on socials is highly encouraged: Post your sketch with #ASLAMNArtMonth (tag ASLA Minnesota!) 🎉

PUBLIC VOTE & PRIZES
A public vote will pick the top three winners to receive BLICK Art Material gift cards (time to restock!) and the top 10 will be featured on ASLA-MN channels. 🏆

KEY DATES (CT)
September 4 @ 10am - Submission deadline
September 7 - Public voting opens
September 11 - Public voting closes
September 15 - Winners announced

By entering, you allow ASLA-MN to share your work with credit. Have fun!

Join a Three Rivers Park District ecology expert for a guided 90-minute tour of Crow-Hassan Preserve, one of the metro’s premiere native prairie restorations. Explore the biodiversity of a healthy grassland—one of the planet’s great living carbon stores and one of North America’s most endangered ecosystems.

August is a spectacular time to visit, with native grasses and wildflowers at their peak and wildlife active throughout the preserve.

Location: Crow-Hassan Preserve (approximately 35 minutes northwest of downtown Minneapolis)

Meet at: Main trailhead parking lot off Park Preserve Road

12595 Park Drive, Hanover, MN 55374
GPS: 45.184744, -93.629010

Please bring: Water, sunscreen, and sturdy walking or hiking shoes suitable for dirt trails.

RSVP: jpierce@oaala.com

Join the ASLA Minnesota Climate Action Committee for a volunteer restoration workday in Theodore Wirth Park. We'll partner with the Friends of the Wildflower Garden to help manage invasive species and support ongoing ecological restoration efforts adjacent to the historic Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden.

The Garden itself is maintained by dedicated Minneapolis Park Board staff. The Friends work helps protect their efforts and the Garden itself.

The workday will include a walk led by an expert restoration volunteer, providing an overview of the area's ecology, history, and current stewardship needs.

Volunteer tasks may include removal of garlic mustard, buckthorn, and other invasive species. No prior experience is required.

What to Bring

• Work boots or sturdy shoes

• Gloves

• Eye protection

• Sun protection

• Water bottle

*Meeting & Parking Meet at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden parking lot. If the lot is full, parking is available at Wirth Beach or on nearby neighborhood streets. The group will walk to the work site together.

Please RSVP to jpierce@oaala.com

Additional information on work activities will be provided before the event. We hope you'll join us for a hands-on opportunity to support one of Minneapolis' most important natural areas.

PDH + Beer: Revitalization of Downtown Saint Paul!

Join us for an evening of learning, networking, and great conversation at our upcoming PDH + Beer event!

Presentation Topic: Revitalization of Downtown Saint Paul!

Presenter: Joe Spencer – President of Downtown St Paul

Time: 5-8 pm

Event Schedule:

• 5:00–5:30 PM – Networking & Mingling

• 5:30–6:15 PM – CEU Presentation

• 6:15–6:45 PM – Q&A and Discussion

• 6:45–8:00 PM – Networking & Mingling

Location: Finegal’s Cave at MetroNOME Brewery (385 Broadway Street, St. Paul, MN 55101)

Cost: Free! First 25 arrivals will receive a complimentary drink ticket and the bar will be open for purchased all evening.

Registration: None required, just show up with your colleagues

Food: ASLA MN will provide some munchies

For more than two decades, Joe Spencer has engineered growth and vitality in downtown Saint Paul. As the first president of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance, Joe works across public and private sectors to build a strong, vibrant downtown and create a positive experience for visitors, residents and workers alike. With his leadership, the Downtown Alliance created the Downtown Investment Strategy to align public and private investment priorities to transform downtown; launched a new brand and subsequent marketing campaigns that reinforce the promise that downtown Saint Paul is Your Place to Grow; and partnered with property owners to create the Saint Paul Downtown Improvement District to deliver clean and safe services, and activated the streets with hundreds of free events, public art installations and more.

🌺 Excitement is in the air! Help support future landscape leaders at WxLA-MN's Midsummer Party. It's an event like no other, and we want you to be there! 🌺

Join WxLA-MN's raffle for a chance to win big while supporting the establishment of the Joan Macleod Leadership endowment! Your participation is not only a chance to win prizes, like chairs from Landscape Forms and Twins tickets, but also plays a vital role in supporting students. Each ticket you purchase directly contributes to our efforts in making a meaningful impact in our landscape architecture community. 🎟️

The Joan MacLeod Student Leadership Award is an annual scholarship recognizing outstanding woman, woman-identifying, or non-binary graduate students. This award is the focus of our current capital campaign. Through your generous support we can build a legacy fund sufficient to support this important scholarship long into the future.

Every registration to this event will go directly to the scholarship fund. You can also donate directly on LAF's website HERE. Together, we can create a brighter, more compassionate world for all.

Thank you for supporting our mission, your support is invaluable. 💗

*Registration includes a raffle ticket discount code! You do not need to be present to win!

Join us for another WxLA Minnesota happy hour to gather, socialize, and share in food and drink! As always, all are welcome to join us for our monthly gatherings!

Stay tuned in to our instagram day of the event for our exact location or any weather-related changes.

Save the date!

We welcome you to join us Friday, June 5th, 2026 for our annual ASLA Minnesota Education Symposium.

Early Bird Registration by May 4th, 2026 / Registration Closes May 29th, 2026

ASLA-MN Members - $110 (early bird), $135 (regular)
Non-Members - $155 (early bird), $180 (regular)
Students - $15 (early bird), $30 (regular)
Other Sponsors - $300 (Includes display table at event)
Platinum Sponsors or Education Symposium A-La-Carte - $0 (Includes display table at event)

REGISTER HERE!

Come play Pickleball and join us for Happy Hour at Minneapolis Cider Company!

Event Details:
🗓️ May 12th, 2026, from 5:00 - 7:00 PM
📍Location: Minneapolis Cider Company | 701 SE 9th St, Minneapolis, MN 55414
💕Suggested Donation: $20

We will gather in the front courts and lounge area.
Remember to bring tennis shoes and comfortable clothes!

This event is being generously sponsored by Coldspring Granite!

Early Registration is now open, from Mar 13-29. Standard ticket sales will continue through April 16.

ASLA-MN's 2026 Annual Awards Gala is a special evening during which we recognize excellence in design as well as service to our profession and the communities we serve. It is also an opportunity for chapter leaders to provide an update on chapter initiatives and other important issues impacting our society and our profession. Please head to our Awards page for registration link to the Gala.

2026 ASLA-MN Service Awards Call for Nominations

Let’s celebrate the incredible contributions of our professionals to the community! Nominations for the 2026 ASLA-MN Service Awards are officially open. Click the link below to nominate someone who truly deserves to be recognized this year! Please submit your nomination by midnight on April 8.

We know this month is a busy one, especially in the world of Landscape Architecture, but we'll be gathering at Bauhaus for another of our monthly WxLA happy hours and we'd love for you to join us! Come relax and socialize (hopefully on the patio!) from 5-7 pm on Thursday, April 16th. As always, all are welcome.

See you all soon!

Are you a Landscape Architecture student or recent graduate looking to polish up your portfolio? Grab your portfolio and join us at UMN Ralph Rapson Hall Courtyard on Wednesday, February 25, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. for a portfolio review hosted by ASLA -MN.

Whether you’re preparing for internships, applying for jobs, or simply looking to tighten up your resume and portfolio, this event offers constructive feedback on portfolio storytelling, layout, and content from experienced professionals who work in the industry.  Just as importantly, it’s a relaxed and supportive environment where you can meet professionals, exchange ideas with peers, and build confidence as you take the next step in your career.

This event is free for everyone—ASLA members, students, and new graduates are all welcome! Food will be provided. Register now!

To continue on the generosity exhibited at our happy hour supply drive, we will be using this opportunity to once again collect donations to support those of our community who need it most right now. A suggested $10 donation will go to COPAL, a Latine-led organization that builds racial, gender, social and economic justice for Latine families. It empowers the community through grassroots organizing and policy advocacy.

Date: February 6th

Time: 5:30 PM –7:30 PM

Location: Three One Six Bar and Grill, Brookview Golf Course, Golden Valley, MN

Details:

Get ready for a night of laughter and teamwork as we take over the Brookview Golf Course Curling Pitch for an unforgettable evening. Whether you're a curling pro or have no clue what a "rock" or "house" is, we've got you covered! We’ll start the evening with a short demonstration to explain how to curl. After that, it's game on—form your teams, embrace the challenge, and let the good times roll!

Appetizers will be provided by ASLA from Three One Six Bar and Grill attached to the curling pitch. Good food, great company, and the perfect way to keep warm!

This event is free for everyone—ASLA members, families, and plus ones are all welcome!

​​The start of the year has been disheartening, to say the least, and extremely challenging for our communities. With that said, time spent together can be healing and there is strength in showing up for one another. Please join us on the 22nd at La Doña for a happy hour and supply drive!

We’re collecting donations for Keystone Community Services at this happy hour, focusing on personal hygiene items like tampons, pads, toilet paper, and deodorant - small things that make a big impact. These items will be delivered directly to homes in need.

Bring what you can, share a drink, and let’s continue taking care of ourselves, each other, and this wonderful city

Can’t make it? Consider donating to Keystone or another local organization supporting our community:

• Keystone Community Services Donation Link

• Immigrant Law Center of MN Donation Link

• UnidosMN Donation Link

• COPAL MN Donation Link

Your usual WxLA happy hour - but make it festive!

As usual, all are welcome to join us at this month’s happy hour event!

_SCAPE Call for Content!

_SCAPE is now accepting content submissions for our next issue, to be published Spring 2026! The theme is Disrupting the Usual. Submissions are due Friday, December 12th, 2025!

More information HERE

Join Us for Trivia Night!

Time:

•  5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Social Hour

•  6:30 PM – 7:30 PM: Trivia Time

•  7:30 PM – 8:30 PM: Social Wrap-up

Locations:

•  Twin Cities: Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative (1712 Marshall St NE Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55413)

•  Duluth: TBD

•  Rochester: TBD

Cost: Free for everyone!

Details:

Pack your bags and join us for ASLA-MN’s 2nd Annual Trivia Night: Travel Around the World! ✈️🌍

We’ll be testing our knowledge of landscapes, landmarks, global wonders, and much more—all in a fun and relaxed atmosphere with prizes for the winning team, food, and beer!

Whether you’re a trivia enthusiast or just looking for a great night out with fellow landscape architects, this is your chance to connect, compete, and explore the world—no passport required.

Grab your colleagues and friends, form a team (up to 6 people), and get ready for an unforgettable evening of fun and friendly competition! Pets are welcome—feel free to bring your furry travel buddies to join the fun!

Whether you’re in the Twin Cities, Rochester, or Duluth, there will be simultaneous events in each location!

Thank you to our current sponsors who have made this possible! If you would like to sponsor future events, please contact Yuqi Yan (yyan@oaala.com) or Meichun Jia (meichun@coenpartners.com).

Register today!

We're still cleaning off the glitter and decompressing from another amazing annual gathering -- thank you​​ to all who attended and stay tuned for more information about exciting changes to our scholarships! In the meantime, join WxLA Minnesota for another evening of socializing at our monthly happy hour.

As always, all are welcome to join us. We hope to see you there!

Save the date for a night of Witch Crafting with WxLA-MN!  

Join us for a night of creativity, community, and celebration as we wrap up another year of collaboration and support. We’ll have crafts, delicious food and drinks, and plenty of good company.
Kids are welcome to join us!

📍 Damon Farber
📅 Tuesday, October 28
⏰ 5–9 PM

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Want to take a deeper dive into the recently released Compensation Survey? Join us for a virtual roundtable discussion on Thursday, October 23rd from 12:00–1:30 PM (Central Time). The roundtable will be an open, collaborative discussion where all participants are encouraged to share ideas, insights, and experiences related to the survey results.

This discussion is designed to be a space for thoughtful exchange, not a presentation or lecture, so please join us ready to listen, share, and engage with your peers.