Explore the development of botanical science through 15th century European herbal books with selected pages from the Helen Fowler Library rare book collection. Learn about the surprising ways plants were used to make books, and experience them through touch, sight and smell.

Image credit: Detail from Herball Or Generall Historie of Plantes by John Gerard, 1636

Experience the breathtaking beauty of William Corey’s photography. Capturing Japanese Gardens over decades, Corey’s sensitivity to his subject is captured on film. Photographs courtesy of William Corey Gallery, LLC, with support from the Asian Art Coordinating Council and Photo Craft Imaging.

Nagakura expands the Japanese tradition of bamboo baskets, moving beyond the functional into the realm of abstract sculptural forms. Using splitting and plaiting techniques learned from his grandfather, the artist creates forms that are bold and expressionistic.
Organized in collaboration with Tai Gallery, Santa Fe.

In the Auto Immune Response (AIR) series, Wilson (Diné) addressed the relationship between a post-apocalyptic Diné man and the beautiful, but toxic environment he inhabits. The series investigated rapid transformation of indigenous lifeways, the disease it has caused and strategies of response that enable cultural survival.

Inspired by the plants in the Gardens, Dinè artist Melanie Yazzie created new work that evoked the memories of her many-worlds traveled. While whimsical, her work has serious undertones, referencing Native post-colonial dilemmas and matrilineal systems.

Inspired by the palette and toolbox of nature, Regina Benson’s From Nature’s Studio featured wall hangings and textile sculptures that boasted surface designs achieved through natural dye and discharging processes. A textiles workshop accompanied the exhibit.

Joellyn Duesberry’s Sharpening the Edge exhibit showcased the artist’s modernist brushstrokes in color-rich, plein-air landscape paintings. This exhibit was organized in collaboration with Gallery 1261 in Denver.

A commentary on humankind’s relationship with nature, this exhibit featured the remarkable intersection of botanical resources and digital technology explored in Bonny Lhotka’s artworks.

The Rare exhibit was organized by the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists to introduce the public to rare and endangered plant species within the state of Colorado. Illustrated plants were identified in part with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. The Gardens’ Conservation & Research Department assisted with a related publication.