Botanical Art at SUBG
??The Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden Florilegium
Botanical illustration is a universally loved artform. These works not only accurately represent the appearance, structure and anatomy of plants, they are breathtakingly beautiful. Botanical art allows plants that are seasonal or seasonally dormant to be appreciated throughout the year.
?Since 2023 SUBG has been holding an annual botanical art exhibition, encouraging the best artists to work with our most important plant collections. Generous donors have contributed works to our permanent collection, showcasing th?e best of South African botanical art, and raising the profile of our most threatened and interesting plant accessions. In early 2025 we are working towards a permanent exhibition space with fresh themed displays every 2-3 months highlighting new works, botanical themes or the Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden and Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botany history.?
?STELLENBOCH UNIVERSITY BOTANICAL GARDEN LAUNCHES AN INNOVATIVE ART PROJECT TO HIGHLIGHT OUR RARE AND THREATENED PLANTS
The new Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden Florilegium is a collection of botanically accurate paintings or drawings of plants. The regularly updated exhibitions will connect visitors to the phenomenal diversity and exceptional local endemism of the Cape, expose them to plants from the wider South African context, and capture and celebrate the fleeting beauty of select endangered species in our care through a permanent botanical art collection. We believe that botanical illustration and art is an absolutely crucial part of communicating the wonder and value of plants, and will help to shift public perception on the value of wild areas for long-term conservation.
Importantly the project aims to support and grow local botanical art development. The new Florilegium aims to raise the profile of botanical art, generating awareness and interest in the purchase of investment pieces by established artists, and to support, develop and inspire young artists.
A place of inspiration for all botanical artists
Botanical artists collaborating with Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden will have access to incredibly rare live plants to paint, microscope material slides and other important scientific information that would otherwise be near-impossible to source for private individuals. Working with botanists from the 中国体育彩票 of Stellenbosch who study and grow these special plants will strengthen the artist’s depth of knowledge and experience on their subject matter. We will be prioritising threatened plant species from the National Red Data List. plants of local near extinct habitats, and plants from our important research and taxonomic collection specimens. Many have never been illustrated. Our current botanical art collection is housed in the historical Garden Office, where displays integrate art and history. This is the first dedicated public scientific institutional home for botanical art in South Africa. Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 already houses the original plates of Marloth's seminal Flora of South Africa in the library archives, and has a rich botanical history that complements a modern collection.
The Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden and the Florilegium will be a place of inspiration, learning and growth for botanical artists in South Africa. Our small permanent collection already includes paintings by some of South Africa’s top and emerging botanical artists.
Each works ties into the Botanical Garden’s conservation collections, especially the ground breaking Threatened Cape Habitat displays which include conservation grade populations of multiple threatened plants, a world first. The beds provide teaching links to geology and environmental diversity. Due to the seasonal nature of our landscape, the beds are spectacularly showy in spring and early summer, but towards late summer become dry and uninspiring to most visitors. Botanical art is a wonderful way to inspire visitors to appreciate that habitat diversity through all the seasons, and build a strong emotional connection to our precious flora.
Meet the team
This special collaborative project is the initiative of Karen Stewart M.Phil (Botanical Illustration) and chair of the Botanical Artists’ Association of Southern Africa’s Cape branch, Dr Don Kirkwood (PhD Botany Ecology) Curator of the Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden, Martine Robinson B (Arch) a well-respected South African botanical artist focusing on Rare and Endangered geophytes. Prof Leanne Dreyer is a key academic partner, the world expert in the megadiverse Cape Oxalis genus and creator of the SUBGs incredible 200-plus species living Oxalis collection. This collection alone is a goldmine, most species have never been illustrated and many are extremely threatened, or only now being formally described.
Donation opportunity
Patrons of the arts and companies now are offered a unique opportunity to be associated with this prestigious and high visibility project to document our precious flora for posterity.
The artwork will be permanently housed, cared for and curated by a specialist team at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden. This collection will highlight the urgent need for the world-class conservation work the Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Botanical Garden does, and enhance the visitor experience substantially.
Artists who have artwork of South African Rare and Endangered plants can apply to have their work included in the collection by emailing the curator Karen Stewart.
Donors support will be essential to commission or purchase specific works, multiple works or contribute to needed display infrastructure and collection and exhibition curation and signage.
Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 is a registered NPO and can provide a South African Section 18A certification for taxation purposes for??? any substantial. Donated funds do not attract a university administration fee and will be ring-fenced for the project.
For UK based organisations and patrons, Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 SA Fund is a registered UK charity (number 1107297) in compliance with the Charities Commission and Company House. This charity is administered by Mr. William Frankel (OBE) and is designed to receive donations from UK-based donors. Contact.
Funders can request a detailed proposal and budget projection information from: razelle@sun.ac.za (for attention Dr Kirkwood)?
Artists who wish to apply to donate works can email the art curator: Karen Stewart studio@karen-stewart.co.za
For project details and updates please follow this page at: www.sun.ac.za/english/entities/botanical-garden/garden/botanical-art??
For announcements, pretty plant pictures and garden news, follow us on Instagram: @subotgarden
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