You’re invited!
Celebrate the beauty of nature and the diversity of Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley.
The Alhambra Civic Center Library will host the Crossed Pollinations Exhibition and Community Festival, Sept. 20 – Oct. 2, 2016. The festival will bring out your inner scientist, artist and explorer. Meet artists, learn about local produce, be an artist for a day and learn from young ambassadors.
An opening reception will be held at the Alhambra Civic Center Library
on Sept. 20, 2016 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. At the reception you will meet Andrea Lofthouse-Quesada, curator of Crossed Pollinations, artist, community activist and Environmental Science teacher at Alhambra High School. She will speak about the inspiration behind the festival and about her desire to highlight the richness of global perspectives.
If you can’t make it to the opening reception, don’t worry. Many weekend activities are planned. They include:
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Why We Paint Flowers
Alhambra Civic Center Library>
Sept. 24, 1-3 p.m.
Roundtable discussion involving artists from the local community who are influenced by the decorative and symbolic nature of flowers. Participating artists include Lofthouse-Quesada and Hope Flores, Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial fellow at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Audience members are encouraged to participate and bring their favorite flower, flower drawing or object with a flower motif to share with the group.
Culinary Origins
Alhambra Farmer’s Market
Sept. 25, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Market vendors will highlight Chinese agriculture, produce and flowers. They will also discuss the origins and natural history of selected produce and flowers.
Be an Artist for a Day
Alhambra Civic Center Library
Oct. 1, 1-3 p.m.
This workshop will be facilitated by Andrea Lofthouse-Quesada and Hope Flores. Workshop participants will choose a style of flower-inspired art and an inspiring medium that could include pattern making, scientific illustration and/or collage. Materials and instruction will be provided.
Alhambra BioBlitz / #nature #scavengerhunt #competition
Alhambra Civic Center Library
8:30 a.m. – Noon
An exciting competition to be held throughout the city of Alhambra. Participants will form teams of three to five people. Each team will look for insects, invertebrates, plants, mushrooms, etc. They will document their findings or observations on iNaturalist. The team with the most observations wins! (Note: Teams must register in advance.)
Culinary Origins
Alhambra Farmer’s Market
Oct. 2, 8:30 a.m. – Noon
Market vendors will highlight Chinese agriculture, produce and flowers. They will also discuss the origins and natural history of selected produce and flowers.
Festival visitors will also learn from Youth Ambassadors, multilingual students who will lead visitors in hands-on activities during scheduled events. Youth ambassadors will also lead tours of the exhibition. Group tours are available to groups of 10 or more people. Tour groups must register in advance.
What might you see at the exhibition? Here’s a sneak peek:
Three nature educators from the Xishanugbanna Tropical Botanic Garden, Yunnan, pictured at a habitat restoration project involving students from a local village. One of the educators is profiled in the exhibition. (Image courtesy of Crossed Pollinations: Investigating Nature & Culture in China. All rights reserved)
ArtPlantae Today 