ART 229 Titivating Anna Atkins: Botanical Curation, Conservation, and Documentation -X
Students will explore simple paper making, creating cyanotype prints, and book binding while working on the fundamentals of lighting and composition in photography. This course will link together the interdisciplinary subjects of science and photography illustrating how photography served and still serves an integral role in the documentation, curation, and identification of flora and fauna species, similarly to Anna Atkins’ self-published book Photographs of British Algae. Historically, photography has always served a role in scientific discovery, and this course serves to strengthen the students’ awareness of that link. We will also explore the conservation of species and how photography aids in conservation efforts.
Assignments will range from the fundamentals of photography in relationship to lighting and composition, paper making, creating cyanotypes of plant samples (ethically harvested), identification of documented plants, and writing responses and research on conservation and photography’s link to the sciences.
Students will take a field trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, Shelter Gardens in Columbia, and/or Powell Gardens in Kansas City to learn about plant identification, documentation, and conservation.
Prerequisite
Honors Only