Barney Lipscomb always exceeds my expectations at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Graham,
Below is a summary of recent activities at BRIT that relate to botanical art, science, TCU students, and beyond. For 2019, several hundred TCU students from three departments—Art, Biology, and History—have visited BRIT for botanical art and science tours. BRIT staff have also lectured about plants and Linnaean botany at TCU. BRIT’s relationship with TCU is growing stronger every day especially since the addition of Arader Natural History Collection of Art. Through guest lecturing at TCU and TCU class tours of BRIT, students discover the unique collections at BRIT and their applications. The collections students gain exposure to include fine art, herbarium specimens, and botanical books and archives—all consisting of various media and technologies. With social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, the Arader Natural History Collection of Art can and does reach past TCU to all of BRIT’s community of 7,890 Facebook followers and 1,569 Instagram followers.
We are exploring with TCU where the best place is on campus to display prints from Arader Natural History Collection of Art! I will keep you posted.
In October, The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) presented its 2019 International Award of Excellence in Conservation to Shirley Sherwood for her lifelong work in botany through the collection, preservation, and exhibition of botanical art. This event—attended by over 250 individuals—raised funds for BRIT and cultivated community awareness and interest in botanical art! See https://www.facebook.com/
TCU Associate Professor of Art, Adam Fung, brought his TCU Drawing I class to BRIT and engaged them with the glories of the botanical world. Professor Fung visited BRIT at least twice with his Drawing classes so students could see and learn about historical botanical books and drawings influenced by Linnaeus, hand-colored stipple engravings from the Arader Natural History Collection of Art, and ancient herbarium specimens. After the BRIT tour, students were asked to draw the botanical world as they saw it.
TCU Associate Professor of Latin American History, Alex Hidalgo, brought TCU students enrolled in Secrets of Nature in the Iberian World for a library/art and herbarium tour. Dr. Hidalgo’s class explored the way humans engaged with the natural world during the early modern period. Plants played an especially prominent role in the expansion of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. “I’ve designed units involving plants that will examine botanical expeditions, new foods, pigments and dyes, and medicine and healing,” said Dr. Hidalgo. Collections from the Arader Natural History Collection of Art and books in the BRIT Library and herbarium specimens were part of the tour/workshop. Graham, I personally conducted this BRIT tour engaging students with Linnaean botany and botanical art!
TCU Instructor of Graphic Design, Erin Starr White, used the BRIT library and the Arader Natural History Collection of Art to engage her History of Graphic Design class with graphic design elements found in pre-1850 specimens in the Herbarium and the books and prints from the Arader Natural History Collection of Art. Erin White is now the Community Education Manager at BRIT. She is an educator, writer, curator, and environmentalist, and brings over a decade of experience in museum education to her role at BRIT. Erin enjoys showcasing artwork by botanical artists and artists exploring the natural world. Through art, BRIT visitors and staff locate new ways to think about the botanical world in all its forms.
BRIT Researcher and Director of the Press and Library, Barney Lipscomb, has been an invited guest lecturer on the TCU Campus every semester for at least 20 years engaging non-majors Natural History classes, Economic Botany classes, Plant Taxonomy classes, and Plant Biology classes and always using in his lecture botanical art, library books, herbarium specimens, and Linnaean botany. In 2019, Barney has been in the TCU classroom on 6 occasions as a guest lecturer engaging students with the beauty and fascination of plants. In addition to lecturing at TCU, Barney is also giving numerous botany and Linnaean lectures, including art, to community groups and organizations.
SMU Environmental Professor, Dr. Bonnie Jacobs, traveled from Dallas to Fort Worth so her Environmental Science class could see and learn about the botanical treasures in the BRIT Library and Herbarium. Again, library books with fine prints and hand-colored stipple engravings from the Arader Natural History Collection of Art helped open student’s eyes to the natural world around them. Graham, I personally conducted this BRIT tour!
The BRIT Upper Atrium Collections Gallery is currently displaying beautiful hand-colored stipple engravings after original drawings of Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840). These beautiful prints are from Redouté’s Les Liliacées. These are of course from the Arader Natural History Collection of Art at BRIT. You can see more about this exhibit on Facebook. Click the link. (https://www.facebook.com/
Currently in The Madeline R. Samples Exhibit Hall at BRIT is Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora. BRIT is proud to host the landmark exhibition, Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora, as part of a worldwide project organized by the American Society of Botanical Artists. America’s Flora features original works by contemporary American artists portraying plants native to the United States and is one of many national exhibitions launched simultaneously in 25 countries on six continents. Carol Woodin (botanical artist with American Society of Botanical Artists)—who attended my Art & Science lecture at Arader Galleries in NY—lectured about this exhibition at BRIT.
Currently in the Upper Atrium Research Gallery is an another art exhibition, Among the Birds and Flora of Texas. This exhibit brings to light the central and reciprocal nature of plants in the lives of birds through a selection of prints from Scott and Stuart Gentling’s Of Birds and Texas limited edition folio. Plant specimens from the BRIT Herbarium as well rare materials from the BRIT Library’s Special Collection (including Linnaean art) accompany the prints to highlight the botanical aspects that are evident in the Gentling’s studies of Texas bird life. This exhibit is running concurrently with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art’s exhibit Seeing in Detail: Scott and Stuart Gentling’s Birds of Texas.
BRIT Adult Education Classes & Workshops at BRIT are ongoing and engaging the community on multiple levels and includes offerings of many botanical art classes. At GROW Adult Education we're passionate about plants, and equally passionate about helping you satisfy your curiosity about all things botanical. We consider it a special privilege to help adults discover the wonder of our natural world through a variety of classes, workshops, and programs. GROW Adult Education is a joint production of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and is supported substantially by our partners at the Tarrant County Master Gardeners Association, the City of Fort Worth, and the Extended Education Department at TCU.
A lot of art is being exhibited and used at BRIT and we very much appreciate all you have done to further the conservation mission of BRIT using the Arader Natural History Collection of Art. We definitely believe botanical art is helping remove plant blindness! Thank you Graham. Hope all is well with your cancer treatments.
Best regards,
--Barney
BRIT
From: graham arader [mailto:grahamarader@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2019 7:06 AM
To: Edward Schneider; Barney Lipscomb; Bass, Ed; Bass, Lee
Subject:
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2019 7:06 AM
To: Edward Schneider; Barney Lipscomb; Bass, Ed; Bass, Lee
Subject:
Hi Ed
Want you to know how much your work to use my gifts means to me. You are doing brilliant work at the Botanical Research Institution of Texas and it is greatly appreciated. Thank you. You are the best leader of any of the men and woman that I am working with to focus on this area of interest for me.
My dream would be to have BRIT be the leading institution in the world for the study of the illustration of the Natural World. For me the best audience would be the students at Texas Christian University. Everyone else is important of course. However, this group is the future of our wonderful USA.
What is the status of a closer relationship with TCU? Is there a chance that some of the art that came from me could be placed on display on their campus to get their attention 270 days a year when school is in session. This has been my highest priority for over 40 years. And of course it would be amazing for Barney Lipscomb to teach a course there on this subject.
Thank you for so kindly understanding that my cancer treatments prevented me for attending your spectacular gala on Oct 2. It must have been a towering success and you have my wishes for the best of luck in getting Shirley Sherwood involved.
Thank you for being exactly who you are Ed.
I am copying Ed, Lee and Barney on this email to you to keep them informed. Also sending to some of your other donors that I have introduced to you over the last two years.
Truly,
Graham
Arader Galleries, 1016 Madison Avenue, NYC, 10075
Comments
Post a Comment