Artist Rosie Brand with her ceramic seed sculptures in the SB Botanic Garden gallery (photo courtesy)
The 12th of the Santa Barbara Botanic GardenTh Annual conservation symposium entitled
“Seeds of Change: Conservation Through Diversity” will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at the Santa Barbara County Education Auditorium and online. It is presented by the Nakashima-Rennie family and sponsored by S&S Seeds.
Two keynote speakers will be guest speakers and honorees at the symposium Peggy Olwell – Plant Protection and Restoration Program Manager at the Bureau of Land Management in Washington, DC – and Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary British artist Rosie Brandwhose ceramic seed sculpture art exhibition recently opened.
Olwell is the recipient of the 2025 John C. Pritzlaff Conservation Award. She established the Native Seed Program at the Bureau of Land Management, promotes the use of native plants in habitat conservation and restoration projects, and worked for over 30 years at the National Park Service, Center for Plant Conservation, on endangered species and plant conservation issues. and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She was co-editor of one Island Press Publication, Restoring Diversity: Strategies for Reintroducing Endangered Plants and co-author of Springer Book, Seeds of Restoration Success: Wild Lands and Plant Diversity in the USA Olwell holds an MS in biology from Southern Methodist University.
Brand's ceramic seed sculptures are in the gallery of the SB Botanic Garden Pritzlaff Conservation Center, her exhibition is titled Seeds: A Living Dream. She worked with the botanists at the SB Botanic Garden and interpreted their research into large-scale ceramic sculptures. On her Instagram account, Brand shared: “It was a dream to work with the garden’s botanists and I am so grateful to the curator Kevin Spracher“'s enthusiasm and support.” She is certified as a California Naturalist through the University of California's Environmental Stewards program and teaches interdisciplinary workshops that combine sculpture, storytelling and naturalism.
The symposium speaker list includes:
– Naomi S. FragaPhD, Director of Conservation Programs, California Botanic Garden: Highlighting the importance of collaborations for regional seed initiatives.
– Heather SchneiderPhD, senior scientist for rare plant conservation, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: Discussing the garden's and its partners' efforts to protect California's rare plants through seed banks.
– Amy VandergastPhD, Supervisory Research Geneticist, US Geological Survey: Exploring how local genetics influence our biodiversity conservation strategies.
– Antonio SanchezNursery Manager, Santa Monica Mountains Fund: Communicating the importance of indigenous knowledge and the need for a greater supply of native seeds.
– Tom KayePhD, Chief Scientist, Institute of Applied Ecology: We celebrate the partnerships working to close the seed supply gap.
– Genevieve ArnoldSeed and Conservation Manager, Theodore Payne Foundation: Highlighting how everyone can get involved to help achieve our regional recovery goals.
The director of conservation and research at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Denise KnappPhD, explained: “Peggy Olwell’s work has laid the foundation for a nationwide movement to restore native plants from seed. By collecting, producing and protecting a rich diversity of seeds, we can ensure a future where habitats recover, species survive and ecosystems thrive.”
411: https://sbbotanicgarden.org
https://rosiebrand.com