Gardens & Tonic: Is It Art or Science? The Co-Construction of Botanical Illustration

Join Tracy Qiu for a journey into the complex and interesting stories unearthed around botanical renderings and colonial plant collection. Her Ph.D. research considers questions such as, “What were the circumstances under which botanical illustration was produced?” and, “How has the history of botanical illustration influenced the way we perceive plants, gardens, nature, and environment in the present day?” Conducting research in archives and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Edinburgh, Tracy will share her insights into this fascinating aspect of human interactions with plants.

 Gardens & Tonic is a series of virtual webinars about plant-related topics, including adventures, stories, art, and garden design. Grab your favorite beverage and join us to explore the world of plants from a new perspective. Presentations are generally 30 to 45 minutes long and with time at the end for questions and answers.

Registration is free, but required to receive the Zoom webinar and recording links.

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Program Details

• Registration is free, but required to receive the Zoom webinar and recording links.
• The webinar link will be included in the confirmation email received after registering online.
• This webinar will be recorded and available for 2 weeks after the presentation.
• Recording link will be available 2 days after the webinar.
• Participants must download Zoom.
• Email us  if you have accessibility needs for this program.
• For more information, review our program and event policies or call the Scott Arboretum office at 610-328-8025. 

Help keep these virtual programs free! If you would like to help fund the Gardens & Tonic series, we invite you to donate online or with a check for your desired amount to: the Associates of the Scott Arboretum with a note on the memo line “For G&T series.” Thank you!

About the Presenter 

Tracy Qiu is an ornamental horticulturist and public garden professional, currently working on her doctoral dissertation on how botanical gardens reckon with their colonial origins while tackling contemporary issues of diversity and inclusion. Her interests in questions of access and “belonging” in botanical garden spaces have led her to a horticultural apprenticeship at the Niagara Parks Botanical Garden (Canada), an internship working with Pacific Islander indigenous plant knowledge at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (Hawaii), and travel through botanical gardens in China, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, and Australia. During her Masters of Science at the University of Delaware, Tracy explored racial diversity in public garden leadership from the perspective of critical race theory and critical museology. A recipient of the Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, she aims to create critical and collaborative research with practical applications for the field of botanical gardens.