Botanical art, with its rich history and high standards, has always informed and promoted botany and the plant world. Since the Renaissance and fueled by centuries of plant exploration, great discoveries in global flora, advances in printing techniques, and an increasing interest in horticulture, botanical art gained a wide audience and flourished as both an art form and a means to document plant species from 1600 – 1900. Beginning in the 1990’s, there has been a resurgence of interest in contemporary botanical art. Pam Harrington will review the significant roles and styles of botanical art. from early times to the present. The class will also visit the Special Collections in Wellesley College’s Margaret Clapp Library for a viewing of the College’s extraordinary collection of rare botanical books on January 6 (snow date January 7). Otherwise, class will be online. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden members $125, nonmembers $150. Register at 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.
