Lexie Shadix, Campus Carrier asst. arts and living editor

The Moon Gallery is displaying “Imperiled Beauty,” an exhibition showing art by Laura Martin. Martin has written and published 26 different books pertaining to nature. She has a degree in botany, a certificate degree in Botanical Art and became involved with endangered plants while doing work at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens several years ago. 

“Imperiled Beauty” consists of 19 plants native to Georgia that are on the Federal Endangered Species list. Martin also included some additional works featuring plants endangered in other Southeastern states for her exhibit at the Moon Gallery. The paintings are accompanied by signs that discuss the plant pictured and reasons for its endangerment. There is also a table filled with sketches and notes that Martin compiled throughout the project. 

“It kind of gave an extra dimension, so this show is going to be very different from the way it was shown in Atlanta,” said Brad Adams, associate professor of art and coordinator of Moon Gallery exhibits. “We have a sort of custom show here.” 

According to Adams, it bridges the gap between art and science and is something that people can connect with. In this exhibit, Martin combined her passion for conservation and art to create a show that is not only pleasing to the eye but also educational. 

“My goal was to raise awareness, not only about the plants themselves, but about their role in the ecosystem and their beauty,” Martin said. 

The paintings consist of watercolor plants on a painted black background. At first glance, the plants appear to be painted on black paper or even glass with a black backing. 

“They’re all done in fairly traditional watercolor,” Martin said. “But then I went around with a watercolor gouache to paint black around them. Not only to me is this aesthetically pleasing, but it also indicates the danger these plants are in. And this, to me, is the imperiled beauty.” 

Through her artwork, Martin showed the grave fate that these plants are faced with while also highlighting their undeniable elegance. 

“It’s very uplifting to see these watercolors and the majesty of these plants,” Christopher Mowry, a professor of biology at Berry, said. “But it’s also sobering to understand that they’re being lost, and we will never get them back again.”

Mowry was the one who first arranged for this exhibit to come to Berry. 

“Laura had reached out to me,” Mowry said. “I thought it sounded like a great fit for Berry.” 

All the plants in the exhibit are on the Federal Endangered Species list. This list covers all species, not only plants, and species are added so long as they meet the requirements of being endangered or threatened set by the Endangered Species Act. Depending on the species, there are varying requirements that must be met for an organism to end up on the list, and various experts are called to determine if the species is at risk. 

“It doesn’t just happen overnight,” Mowry said. “It’s usually a long process, but if it’s successful, then that species is placed on the endangered species list. Then there is a recovery plan that is put into action.” 

The Endangered Species Act also provides the guidelines that must be put into action to recover species on the list. Once a species is listed, all hope is not lost. The bald eagle is an excellent example of this. They were listed as an endangered species in 1978, and a recovery plan was put in place, leading to the birds being removed from the list in 2007. While extinction is considered a natural process, the concern is the rapid rate at which species are now going extinct. 

“More species are being listed at a higher rate and it all can be linked to human activities,” Mowry said. 

According to Catherine Borer, associate professor and chair of biology, much of the reason that plants are facing extinction at such a high rate is habitat loss. 

“If you look at many different types of rare, endangered or threatened species, a lot of times it boils down to habitat loss, whether it’s habitat degradation or just wiping out the habitat [by] building houses, store and parking lots,” Borer said. “If you think about the grass we have on lawns, that’s not a natural ecosystem. Managed, manicured lawns and flower gardens and stuff like that, we’re completely changing a lot of ecosystems.” 

The sad truth is that many may not be aware of what is happening to our plants. If they are, they may not know what they can do to help. On Sept. 18, Martin visited Berry to speak in “Talk with an Artist,” which was organized by the Cultural Events Center. There, she spoke to Berry students about why these plants are in danger and what steps we can take to prevent their extinction. She also wove Native American stories into her presentation to describe the plants original habitats. She did this with the goal of giving her audience something they feel like they can connect to. The plant becomes not just a name, but something that people once used and cherished. 

“I think that if you get people to relate to something, they will be more interested in saving it,” Martin said. 

Martin wants to help spread the message that there are ways to help conserve plants that are approaching extinction. 

“I think that many of us feel a lack of power and a lack of influence,” Martin said. “And we can become really depressed about the environment’s state, but to be able to actually do something, not only does it serve the environment, but it also serves us. It gives us a sense of purpose, a sense that we are influencing and that things may not be as bleak as they are presented in the news.” 

While the future for these plants may seem disheartening at first glance, there are things that can be done to help conserve them. Many plants are facing extinction due to the presence of invasive weeds. One thing students at Berry can do is help get rid of them. 

“Many organizations actually host workdays so you can go and actually remove the invasive weeds,” Martin said. “I would love to see students take on legislation to ban the sale of invasive plants in the southeast through the nursery trade.”

Students can support organizations that protect the land. Support does not necessarily entail a monetary donation; this could also come in the form of volunteering. It is also important to raise awareness about the danger these plants are in and a community can often do much more than one individual. At Berry specifically, conservations projects are occurring to preserve the Longleaf Pine and American Chestnut. Mowry has multiple projects taking place at Berry that focus on coyotes, birds and bats, among other things. Students can also practice simply being a responsible steward of our earth. 

“Imperiled Beauty” combines art and science and offers something for everyone. 

“I think it’s wonderful that we have this sort of collaborative approach between biology and art,” Borer said. “I think it provides a really different angle on conservation biology in general. I think it’s approachable to lots of different types of people, backgrounds and interests, and everybody can learn and take away from it.” 

Martin weaves together multiple disciplines in a truly beautiful way to tell the stories of these plants. As more species creep closer to extinction, we do not have to merely stand by and watch. “Imperiled Beauty” not only gives a voice to these endangered species, but it also informs viewers of ways they can have a voice in the fight against these plants’ imperilment as well. Perhaps, if people continue to advocate for species and work against extinction like Martin is doing, one day these beauties will no longer be imperiled.