Artist Talk and Botanical Drawing Workshop
May 29, 2025, 5:30-8pm – All slots are filled! See you tonight!
Meet at the shed.
Join artists Diane Ehrich and Rebecca Schultz with FHSP Restoration Manager Cynthia Blackwood for an evening “reveal” of the new native plant garden, designed specifically to enhance habitat for pollinators, followed by the artists’ talk and workshop.
Rebecca Schultz’s site specific installation Embedded, made with clay sourced from the banks of the Tookany Creek as it flows through High School Park, is the material embodiment of the native ecosystems that support pollinators. The work consists of four sculptural forms that evoke the topography and contours of the Park’s landscape, with surface marks referencing the elements of native pollinator plants—root systems, leaf structures, flowers—that make them function. The clay pieces are unfired and contain milkweed seeds; as the clay breaks down over time the seeds will integrate into the soil of the garden, allowing them to cold stratify before next spring.
Diane will show her completed botanical drawing of Common Milkweed found in the High School Park meadow and then lead the participants in a hands-on workshop, teaching techniques for drawing from botanical specimens. This event is free, drawing materials will be provided, but registration is required.
The native planting was supported by Endangered Species Coalition (ESC) thanks to contributions from the Robert F. Schumann Foundation. The May 22nd workshop and artist talk, and upcoming national webinar on the topic of native plants and art for conservation, are supported by ESC with generous funding from the Lawrence Saunders Fund.
Garden reveal and artist talk begins at 5:30pm; drawing workshop begins at 6:30pm. Registration is required for the workshop, limit of 15 participants.