ArtPlantae Today

Education providers listed in the Classes Near You section on the ArtPlantae blog are for the benefit of members of our creative community. Their inclusion is not an endorsement. As with anything, please investigate your choices thoroughly. Then get outside and be inspired!

Chicago Botanic Garden
www.chicagobotanic.org
A wide selection of classes in nature studies and the botanical arts are available at the Garden. Download a brochure for the Botanical Art Certificate Program here. Here’s a class with visiting artist, Carol Woodin, that might interest you:

Kathleen Garness
www.gnsi.org/profile/kathleen-garness
Kathleen is a natural science illustrator whose illustrations are being used to illustrate a guide to common plant families in the Chicago region. Her work has been shown in many exhibitions and is also featured in the 2011 issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom, an issue dedicated to botany, art and conservation.

Heeyoung Kim
www.prairieplantart.com
Heeyoung Kim is a botanical artist whose illustrations and paintings of American prairie plants have graced posters, postcards and exhibition catalogs. Heeyoung is passionate about documenting prairie plants and brings attention to the fragile state of America’s prairies by exhibiting her work in national and international exhibitions. Learn More

Lillstreet Art Center
http://lillstreet.com
The Lillstreet Art Center offers adult classes in painting and drawing, ceramics, metalsmithing and jewelry, printmaking, textiles, glass, photography and the digital arts. View a schedule of their classes for first-time artists and for children ages 2 and up here.

The Morton Arboretum Botanical Art & Illustration and Master’s Studio Certificate Program
http://www.mortonarb.org/
The Morton Arboretum is located in Lisle, Illinois and is dedicated to the conservation of trees. Its 1,700-acre garden has 4,000 kinds of trees, shrubs, and plants. Individuals interested in earning a certificate in botanical art & illustration &/or an advanced master’s certification in this discipline, should visit the program’s webpage for more information. In addition to completing required coursework, certificate students explore related topics and disciplines in elective courses.

View all classes and course descriptions online.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
www.naturemuseum.org
Located in Chicago, the museum strives to create relationships between nature and people through their education programs, exhibitions, citizen science projects and research.

Shawn Sheehy
www.shawnsheehy.com
A Chicago book artist and paper engineer whose work incorporates ecological principles observed in nature. Sheehy’s art reflects his interests in ecosystems, natural resources, population biology and evolution. Shawn was the featured guest for September 2012. Here is what we learned when he stopped by to visit.

Visit Shawn’s redesigned website at www.shawnsheehy.com to see images of the vegetable pop-ups for his workshop, to learn about his new book and to view his workshop schedule.