June 11 – August 28, 2022
Celebrating the diversity and history of cultivated plants grown for clothing, healing, and food, this exhibition features plants discovered on international travels, picked up at farmers’ markets, and plucked from the artists’ own gardens. The artworks created by American Society of Botanical Artists were selected for The New York Botanical Garden’s Fourth Triennial, devoted to biological diversity in cultivated utilitarian plants.
As the artists studied their chosen plants to ensure faithful depictions, they learned about the history of cultivated varieties or the significance of wild relatives’ roles in yielding today’s fruits and vegetables.
The exhibition celebrates the artistry of plant breeding, the challenges of maintaining genetic diversity that helps domesticated crops resist environmental and climate stress and disease, and the potential for rejuvenation via heirloom and ancient plant revival. For details about the summer exhibition and programs, check the press release, summer events calendar PDF, and online events calendar.
Abundant Future: Cultivating Diversity in Garden, Farm, and Field, The Fourth New York Botanical Garden Triennial, was produced in collaboration with the American Society of Botanical Artists.
Exhibition Highlights
Thanks to the members, donors, grantors, and sponsors who support exhibitions and programs. Exhibitions and programs are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Marketing is supported in part by City of Wausau Room Tax funds.
