NEWS
AUTUMN UPDATE From left: Jane Rodgers, Shelley Roden-Smith, Carol Griesser, Pete Thomas, Susan Hutchinson and Narelle Richardson
This year’s Garden Art Month (April–early May) is set to entice visitors with a selection of outstanding exhibitions, Wednesday art-andsculpture walks and children’s activities. The marquee event this year is the much-anticipated Artisans in the Gardens (26 March–3 April), which returns after a COVID-induced break in 2021. Showcasing established and emerging Australian artists and craftspeople, the exhibition will incorporate more than 2,000 artworks, including sculpture, ceramics, handblown glass, jewellery, textiles and more (full story page 8). World-class botanical art will also feature in two major exhibitions: A Flash of Red by artist Jean Dennis and Botanic Endeavour, presented by the Florilegium Society. Inspired by Dennis’ first sighting of a red flower in an otherwise dry-brown bush in the Northern Territory, A Flash
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THE GARDENS AUTUMN 2022
Gardening Australia presenters Costa Georgiadis and Clarence Slockee recently made special ‘on-screen’ appearances at The Calyx as part of a special ‘thank you’ event for volunteers across the Gardens. The much-loved presenters took part in a video tracing 40 years of volunteer guiding at the Gardens. While celebrating the contributions of all those who donate their time and energy, the event paid special tribute to long-term volunteers. Not surprisingly, Foundation & Friends was well represented, with more than 50 members recognised for passing important milestones over the past two years. Among them were Janet Snodgrass (information booth and catering), Ann Rasmussen (information booth, events and catering) and Robin McIntyre (Growing Friends), all of whom have now contributed more than 25 years’ service.
of Red (The Calyx, 25 April–8 May) will offer watercolours of parts of trees and shrubs of the Indigenous Brachychiton genus. The works were painted from living specimens over a 13-year period, with the majority of specimens collected by the artist. The Florilegium Society is a selffunded, voluntary organisation dedicated to building a collection of contemporary botanical paintings of plants in the Gardens' Living Collection. Its Botanic Endeavour exhibition (Lion Gate Lodge, 7–22 May) presents recent botanical paintings of plants that feature in the Living Collection and are also among the historic specimens collected by Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. On sale at the exhibition will be an accompanying, limited edition Botanic Endeavour publication, featuring 48 new paintings. For more information visit botanicgardens.org.au/gardenartmonth.
Lambertia formosa by Elaine Musgrave from the Botanic Endeavour exhibition
Photos: Jessica Lindsay, Alice B, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
GARDEN ART MONTH
CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERS
