Drawing is not about making pictures, but it is about learning to see through drawing.
— Ila Crawford
In Art Instruction in Botany Lab, Lyn Baldwin and Ila Crawford investigated how drawing changed the way botany students learned in a traditional botany lab. This year, they are investigating the reverse — how students in a traditional art class will react to the study of botany.
In a recent article, Does the Science of Botany Need Art? Does Art Need the Science of Botany?, Baldwin and Crawford write about how the disciplines of art and botany can benefit from each other. To make their points, Baldwin (a quantitative field botanist) explains why “the science of botany needs the joy of art” and Crawford (a visual art instructor with 20 years experience) explains the reasons why plants have a “legitimate place in art education.” Their article is a must-read if you’re interested in how drawing can be used to encourage an interest in plants.
Written as a backdrop for their current research about incorporating botany into art class, it also serves as an announcement for an exciting new exhibition for which Baldwin and Crawford are the curators. The exhibition they have created explores the idea that “art inhabits the teaching and practice of botany, and conversely botanical subjects and scientific methods have a legitimate place in teaching and practicing art.”
Lyn Baldwin and Ila Crawford have announced the call for entries for this exhibition and they would like to invite you to participate. The wonderful thing about this exhbition is that it is open to not only artists, but to botanists as well!
Here is a summary:
Art and Science: Drawing and Botany
Canadian Botanical Association
June 5-25, 2013
Invited: Artists, botanists, and groups of artists and botanists working on special projects (10 or more individuals)
Submissions: Three maximum for individuals; one per member for group submissions. Only original work will be accepted, no reproductions. Sketchbooks will be accepted. Only digital images will be accepted for the jurying process.
Entry Fee: $10 per registration ($10 covers up to three works)
Deadlines: Individual submissions (March 29, 2013), Project-based submissions (January 15, 2013)
For additional information about digital submissions, artist’s statements, insurance and more, visit Art and Science: Drawing and Botany.
Literature Cited
Baldwin, Lyn and Ila Crawford. 2012. Does the science of botany need art? Does art need the science of botany? Canadian Botanical Association / L’Association Botanique du Canada. CBA/ABC Bulletin. 45(1): 10-13. Web. http://www.tru.ca/cba-abc/art.html [accessed 16 August 2012]
ArtPlantae Today 
In no way do I profess to have expertise on botanical subjects, only my own odd gardening experiments and plant-related experiences. However, a botanical concern has been present in my work since 2001. Most recently I’ve read Thoreau’s work, which contiunues to inspire my sculpture and sculptural installation works. I’ve also used botanical imagery (old photographs and illustrations from dated botanical sources) in my work, and I often find the drawings & bad photographs to be more interesting as is than the actual plants themselves. Have always if any other artists out there can relate to this.