Illustrated: Art/Science at the Garden
2026 Theme: Observation & Imagination
Friday, January 23, 10 AM–4 PM | ONLINE
Saturday January 24 & Sunday, January 25 | IN-PERSON
Where observation meets imagination.
Illustrated: Art/Science at the Garden celebrates the relationship between artistic vision and scientific inquiry through the timeless discipline of botanical illustration. This annual event invites artists, scientists, and plant enthusiasts to explore how close observation of form, color, and structure can deepen our understanding of the living world and expand the boundaries of creative expression.
This year’s theme, Observation & Imagination, examines how seeing with precision and drawing with curiosity reveal both the science and the spirit of plants. Through conversation, demonstration, and practice, participants will uncover how the act of looking closely transforms not only how we draw, but how we perceive nature itself.
ONLINE Art & Science Lectures
ONLINE Friday, January 23, 10 AM–4 PM
All-Day Pass: $85 Member; $99 Non-Member; $60 Student
Individual Talks: $18 Member; $22 Non-Member; $12 Student
Join us for a full day of virtual presentations bringing together artists and scientists from across disciplines. Speakers will share how their work bridges art and research—whether through field sketching, microscopy, or digital imaging—and how observational drawing remains vital in documenting, studying, and celebrating biodiversity. Expect lively discussions, behind-the-scenes studio glimpses, and insights into the creative processes that bring plant life vividly to paper.
SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, JAN 23
10:30–11:20 AM How Observation Sparks Creativity
Carol Schwartz, Illustrator
Discover how observing nature fuels creativity and inspires art that champions plants and pollinators.
Registration: All Day Pass | Individual Talk
Carol Schwartz is an illustrator and educator whose work has appeared in over 60 picture books as well as magazines, newspapers, and national publications. A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute and Rhode Island School of Design, she earned her MFA from the University of Hartford in 2014.
Specializing in science and nature, Carol has illustrated for Scholastic, Hyperion, National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, and The Washington Post. Her books have been recognized as Outstanding Science Trade Books by NSTA and CBC, honored with a Children’s Choice Award, and included in the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art exhibition. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally and is part of the Society of Illustrators’ permanent collection.
Working primarily in gouache and digital media, Carol is known for rich textures and detail that deepen connection to her subjects. She has taught at colleges across the country and is now Assistant Professor of Illustration at the Hartford Art School, also teaching online for RISD’s Natural Science Illustration program. She frequently presents on art and nature and co-teaches “Seascapes and Landscapes” as an Artist-in-Residence at Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island, Maine.
11:30 AM–12:20 PM
Artful Science and Early Botanical Photography
Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood, Photographer & Artist
Explore how 19th-century scientists and artists developed and explored photographic processes as a resource to study and celebrate the botanical world, blending aesthetic curiosity with scientific discovery.
Registration: All Day Pass | Individual Talk
Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood is an American photographer and writer whose work investigates memory, place, and the fleeting nature of experience as revealed through the landscape. Rooted in sustained observation and a deep attunement to the natural world, her practice merges fine art photography with a literary sensibility and the analytical perspective of a curator. She is particularly interested in how close looking can illuminate the quiet structures, rhythms, and emotional undercurrents of the environments we inhabit.
Kirkwood earned a BA in photography from Hampshire College and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Her formative years in New England, coupled with her work in museum curatorial departments, shaped her interdisciplinary approach and sharpened her interest in the intersection of visual culture and natural history. Since her first exhibition in 1994 at the Midtown Y Gallery in New York City, she has exhibited extensively across the United States and internationally, with her work appearing in museums, galleries, and publications dedicated to both art and environmental thought.
She now lives and works in a restored 19th-century church in western Massachusetts, where she continues to explore alternative photographic processes. Her current projects investigate the fusion of 19th-century anthotype techniques with contemporary photographic methods, creating images that foreground the beauty, fragility, and ephemerality of the natural world.
1:00–1:50 PM
lllustrating Lichens: Practical Considerations and Process
Ethan Roos, Science & Nature Illustrator
While they can be easy to overlook, lichens are a fascinating subject for botanical illustration. We’ll cover practical considerations for observing and identifying them, as well as how to find engaging colors and compositions to illustrate them.
Registration: All Day Pass | Individual Talk
Ethan Roos is a digital science and nature illustrator based in New York City. His work focuses on promoting native species of the northeast and building connections to nature in an inclusive way, drawing on a background in molecular botany and traditional botanical illustration. In his personal practice, he creates risograph prints and interactive paper objects.
2:00–2:50 PM
Ecotones: Art and science at Biological Field Stations
Nancy Lowe, Artist & Educator
This one-hour online presentation will explore contemporary art produced at biological field stations and marine labs. Biological field stations and marine labs have long served as sites for science research and education. These living laboratories can be a few acres to thousands of acres in remote sites.
Registration: All Day Pass | Individual Talk
Nancy Lowe works at the intersection of art, science, and natural history. She is currently a Bullard Fellow at Harvard Forest where she is making art about complexity & emergence in forest ecology and is developing best practices for arts programs at biological field stations. In her creative practice she uses drawing and painting, fiber, and mixed media to explore themes of ecology and evolutionary biology. Through the Organization of Biological Field Stations, she coordinates Ecotones, a network of field stations that have arts programs.
For over two decades she has taught art-science workshops at colleges, universities, biological field stations, schools, museums, arts centers, and other institutions. She has also catalyzed and facilitated art-science exhibits, performances, and other projects.
Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums in the US and Europe. She has a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
3:00–3:50 PM
Drawing the Living World: Botanical Illustration in a Museum Context
Alice Tangerini, Botanist / Botanical Illustrator
Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History
Explore how precise scientific drawing brings plant diversity to life in a museum setting. This lecture reveals the craft, accuracy, and artistry behind botanical illustration and its role in visualizing the living world.
Registration: All Day Pass | Individual Talk
Alice R. Tangerini is an American botanical illustrator celebrated for her more than five decades as the staff illustrator for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Hired in 1972 by botanist Lyman Bradford Smith—making her the Smithsonian’s first full-time botanical illustrator—she has produced over 1,000 scientifically precise plant drawings using herbarium specimens, field observations, and traditional pen-and-ink techniques. Her work is central to modern plant taxonomy and remains a cornerstone of the museum’s botanical research.
Despite losing vision in her right eye after a 2005 injury, Tangerini continued her practice by adapting to digital tools, including a graphics tablet, and remains a leading figure in scientific illustration. Her achievements have earned major honours, including the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators’ Distinguished Service Award, the American Society of Botanical Artists’ Excellence in Scientific Botanical Art Award, and the Linnean Society of London’s prestigious Jill Smythies Award.
IN-PERSON Art & Science Workshops
Saturday and Sunday, January 24 and 25
Pre-registration is required.
Workshops are not included with registration to the Drawn from Nature speaker series on Friday..
Continue the weekend at New England Botanic Garden, surrounded by living collections that offer endless botanical subjects. Hands-on workshops invite you to translate Friday’s ideas into practice through guided exercises in drawing, watercolor, and mixed media. Each workshop emphasizes both technique and perception, and provides guidance on balancing scientific accuracy with expressive interpretation.
SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, JAN 24
9:30–12:30 PM
Bloomscapes: The Art of Statement Arrangements
Sam Paradis, Floral Designer and owner of Sam’s Stems
Learn to design bold, large-scale vase arrangements that command attention. Explore proportion, color harmony, and structural techniques for creating dramatic yet refined centerpieces with professional artistry.
$85 Member; $99 Non-Member | Register here
Sam Paradis, Floral Designer and owner of Sam’s Stems
Create beautiful fresh arrangements using eco-friendly techniques and vintage vessels. Learn professional design principles while embracing sustainable practices that honor both artistry and environment.
Register here, then join us in the afternoon for Botanical Still Life: The Language of Flowers photography workshop.
10:30–12:30 PM
Glasswork Beading
Sue Underwood, Lamp Work Artist and Jewelry Designer; owner of Mystic Moon Beads
Discover the art of glasswork! Learn the history and techniques behind glass beadmaking, then design and create your own unique necklace using handmade glass beads.
$35 Member; $55 Non-Member | Register here
Susan (Sue) Underwood is a lamp worker (glass bead maker) and a jewelry designer of over 35 years and she resides in Hudson, Ma.
Sue creates whimsical glass beads and designs lamp work jewelry pieces that are truly one of a kind using nature and the world around her as inspiration.
Sue has mastered the creative skills to transform glass into brightly colored shapes: leaves, flowers, acorns, and mini sculptures. These beads emote happiness and add a sense of playfulness to each piece that is created.
Sue’s art has been influenced by many glass artists. She has been lucky enough to study with: Jim Smircich, Lilliana Cristiana Glen, Sally Prasch, Kate Fowle, Nancy Tobey, Trey Cornette, JC Harrell, and Andrea Guarino-Slemmons. Susan is a current member of Wet Canvas, Bead Designers International, and the Boston Chapter of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers.
Sue’s current work can be found on Etsy, Bead Life (Facebook group), Instagram, and local galleries including Handworks Gallery, Acton, MA Athru Designs, Hudson, MM; and Kitchen Sink Candles, Bolton MA.
Sue’s links: ETSY | Facebook| Instagram | mysticmoonbeads@gmail.com
10:30 AM–12:30 PM (ONLINE)
Drawing Basics: Fantastic Flowers in Pen & Ink
ONLINE 4-WEEK SERIES Saturday January 24, 31, February 7 & 14
Carol Schwartz, Botanical Illustrator and Artist
Find delight in drawing the beautiful blooms of warmer months. learn some basic techniques of working with pen and ink and practice using a pen to hatch, crosshatch, and stipple, to control light and shadow in your botanical drawings.
$155 Member; $186 Non-Member | Register here
Carol Schwartz is an illustrator and educator whose work has appeared in over 60 picture books as well as magazines, newspapers, and national publications. A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute and Rhode Island School of Design, she earned her MFA from the University of Hartford in 2014.
Specializing in science and nature, Carol has illustrated for Scholastic, Hyperion, National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, and The Washington Post. Her books have been recognized as Outstanding Science Trade Books by NSTA and CBC, honored with a Children’s Choice Award, and included in the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art exhibition. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally and is part of the Society of Illustrators’ permanent collection.
Working primarily in gouache and digital media, Carol is known for rich textures and detail that deepen connection to her subjects. She has taught at colleges across the country and is now Assistant Professor of Illustration at the Hartford Art School, also teaching online for RISD’s Natural Science Illustration program. She frequently presents on art and nature and co-teaches “Seascapes and Landscapes” as an Artist-in-Residence at Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island, Maine.
2:00–4:30 PM
Botanical Still Life: The Language of Flowers
Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood, Fine Art Photographer & Artist
Join botanical photographer Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood for an advanced workshop on composition, lighting, and styling. Capture expressive still-life images that convey the artistry and symbolic language of flowers.
$70 Member; $84 Non-Member | Register here
Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood is an American photographer and writer whose work investigates memory, place, and the fleeting nature of experience as revealed through the landscape. Rooted in sustained observation and a deep attunement to the natural world, her practice merges fine art photography with a literary sensibility and the analytical perspective of a curator. She is particularly interested in how close looking can illuminate the quiet structures, rhythms, and emotional undercurrents of the environments we inhabit.
Kirkwood earned a BA in photography from Hampshire College and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Her formative years in New England, coupled with her work in museum curatorial departments, shaped her interdisciplinary approach and sharpened her interest in the intersection of visual culture and natural history. Since her first exhibition in 1994 at the Midtown Y Gallery in New York City, she has exhibited extensively across the United States and internationally, with her work appearing in museums, galleries, and publications dedicated to both art and environmental thought.
She now lives and works in a restored 19th-century church in western Massachusetts, where she continues to explore alternative photographic processes. Her current projects investigate the fusion of 19th-century anthotype techniques with contemporary photographic methods, creating images that foreground the beauty, fragility, and ephemerality of the natural world.
SCHEDULE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
10:00 AM–2:00 PM
Wire Sculpture and Modern Basketry Workshop
Bayda Asbridge, Mixed Media Artist
Discover modern basketry and learn wire weaving techniques including knotless netting and random weaving while exploring creative form and structure.
$68 Member; $82 Non-Member | Register here
Bayda Asbridge is a multidisciplinary artist who works in a wide range of mediums. Bayda trained as an Asian brush painter who now teaches at Worcester Art Museum. She has vast knowledge of painting, drawing, printmaking, Japanese weaving (Saori), mixed media, sculpture, installation, and basketry. Her work has been recognized in several New England art institutions, giving her a well-rounded knowledge of all stages of artistic production, from conception through to presentation.
In 2011, Bayda was awarded the Frances Kinnicutt Travel & Study Award from Worcester Art Museum which she used to travel to England and study mixed media. In 2021, she was awarded Mass Cultural Traditional Arts Award in Arabic Calligraphy. In 2023, Bayda was awarded a grant from Mass Culture where she utilized it to learn traditional and modern basketry weaving. Bayda continues her ever-growing career as an artist and as a member of the New England art scene.
2:00–4:00 PM
Botanical Threads: A Phenology Stitch-Along | LIZ IVES
Liz Ives, Textile Artist
Explore plant phenology through monthly embroidery inspired by seasonal blooms. Learn simple stitches, follow nature’s rhythm, and create a beautiful year-long record in thread.
$40 Member; $55 Non-Member | Register here
Liz Ives is a textile artist living and working in Central Massachusetts. She has a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago in textile arts and an MA in history from Villanova University with a focus on material culture. She believes that learning about material culture, the things created and used in daily life, can teach us about the past and inform the present. Textiles are one of the most important “material” items humans use every day, in a variety of ways. They serve as a gateway to examine art, culture, and history.
As a textile arts teacher with 25 years of experience in all types of education, from college lectures to private mentorship, Liz believes firmly that anyone can do art if they have a desire to try.
In her own body of work, she focuses on the intersection of time and place as seen through the lens of textiles, with a focus on the natural world and our interactions with it. She uses natural dyes, textile-printing, embroidery, sewing, beading, quilting, and a variety of textile techniques to explore these larger ideas.