Explore art, ceremony, history, and botany using ancient traditional approaches to plants. This year’s theme is plant communication as we observe and discuss how plants, insects, and mankind are linked and how these natural systems offer guidance to human life. Reading, observing, journaling, and discussion are expected from students to stimulate awareness and inspire artwork they will share.
Taught by two artist-botanists, Barb Steele and Pat Brodowski, who have a lifetime of experience growing plants of every kind and researching lore about them. Barb was the proprietor of the Alloway Herb Gardens, Pat was a lead gardener at Monticello.
Limit: 10 students, ages 12 and up.
Students should have: Journaling materials.
Book suggestions:
- Insect Mythology by Gene Kritsky & Ron Cherry
- Common Bees of the Eastern United States by Heather Holm
- Gardening for Butterflies by Xerces Society
- Attracting Native Pollinators by Xerces Society
- Buzz by Thor Hanson
- Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
- The Light Eaters, by Zoe Schlanger
- Thus Spoke the Plant, by Monica Gagliano
- Feeding Cahokia by Gayle J. Fritz
- The Columbian Exchange by Alfred Crosby Jr.
- Serviceberry and Braiding Sweetgrass, both by Robin Kimmerer
- The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman
