Be inspired by the natural beauty of your surroundings and experience Botanical Art and Illustration at the Desert Botanical Garden. These popular offerings are suitable to a variety of interests, whether you are a beginner with no experience or an enthusiast seeking to enroll in the certificate program, all are welcome. Courses are taught by talented, experienced instructors in the field of botanical art. Course sizes are limited to 15 students to ensure a personalized and encouraging atmosphere.
The Desert Botanical Garden is an oasis of beauty—a serene, tranquil island of desert, preserved within the bustling metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona. A leading scientific institution, the Desert Botanical Garden possesses an extensive and rich history of research, exhibition, and education. The Desert Botanical Garden, itself, serves as a perfect metaphor for the splendid mix of art and science that must occur when one undertakes botanical illustration. In line with our long tradition of excellence in both science and beauty, the Garden is proud to present the Botanical Art and Illustration Program.
This program is decidedly unique focusing entirely on desert flora—in particular, that of our diverse and fascinating Sonoran Desert. Students will be encouraged
to serve both masters—science and art—through rigorous study and exploration.
Botanical Art and Illustration Program Director, Marilyn Garber, is a leading botanical artist and educator, joining us from the Minnesota School of Botanical Art, a school she founded in 2001. In addition, Marilyn is actively involved with the American Society of Botanical Artists, sitting on its board of directors. Her work has been exhibited in Europe and Latin America, and we are extremely fortunate and excited to have her involvement in this program.
As our founder, Gertrude Divine Webster, once noted, “First, we wish to conserve our Arizona flora—fast being destroyed. Second, we wish to establish plantings for students and botanists, and third, we wish to make a compelling attraction.” We hope you will join the Garden in this endeavor, take a class and help leave a lasting legacy of scientifically correct and stunningly beautiful botanical artwork.
Ken Schutz, The Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director
Proudly, we offer the Botanical Art and Illustration School at the Desert Botanical Garden. We have developed a serious program that leads to a Certificate of Botanical Art and Illustration. The program is focused, providing students the opportunity to learn through structured technique-based art classes, while remaining steeped in the rich tradition of botanical art.
Our goal is to stimulate and challenge—to help students achieve a high degree of technical capability as well as develop the eye and the hand of the artist to create accurate yet aesthetically pleasing work. Students will also learn about the conservation of desert plants of the world with emphasis on those in the Southwestern United States. We encourage students to register for classes in which they have a personal interest, or to enroll in the certificate program for more comprehensive knowledge.
The program offers a friendly, encouraging environment that will guide students in developing their talents. And the Garden provides remarkable surroundings in which to learn.
Marilyn Garber, Director, Botanical Art and Illustration Program
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Marilyn Garber is a botanical artist and founder of the Minnesota School of Botanical Art at The Bakken Museum in Minneapolis in 2001 and the director of the Botanical Art and Illustration Program at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
She is a charter member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, serving as its vice president and currently co-chairing the education committee. She chaired the ASBAs 2005 national conference in Minneapolis and was the exhibition organizer for the international exhibition of botanical art at the Weisman Museum. Marilyn was recently named to the Advisory Board of the Guild of Asian Botanical Artists, which includes members from 19 Asian countries.
Marilyn is a member of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Florilegium (floor-ah-lee-gee-um) Society, an invitational organization that includes 50 botanical artists from across the United States. She has taught in many venues and is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota.
Her botanical paintings have been included in exhibitions at the Royal Horticultural Society in London, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama City, Panama, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and the Arsenal Gallery in New York, Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem in Germany, the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden, Thailand, the Minnesota Science Museum, and the Bell Museum of Natural History “Blooms” exhibit.
Her work has been published in the International Journal of Plant Science, Federal Government Botanical Field Guides, and several other publications. And, she was commissioned to illustrate rhubarb for Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion Be-Bop-A-Rhubarb, Rhubarb Pie National Public Radio touring show.
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Program Spotlight: Marilyn Garber – 
