Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change
A 17-Year Journey Documenting Our State’s Vanishing Beauty
Rob Badger and Nita Winter’s Photographs on Display in
San Francisco Main Library’s Jewett Gallery
El Niño storms are expected to bring large amounts of much needed rain to California. In years past this weather event has also produced magnificent explosions of color across the state. The 1997-98 El Niño rains produced an unexpected “100 Year Bloom” that inspired Rob Badger and Nita Winter to begin their 17-year documentary art project, Beauty and the Beast: Wildflowers and Climate Change. The exhibition opening and Meet the Artists event will be on Saturday, January 23, at the San Francisco Public Library, Jewett Gallery, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco.
The artists have selected 40 exquisite photographs from their unique and impressive collection of fine art images. Spectacular wildflower landscapes, and intimate floral portraits created on California’s public lands highlight our states vanishing treasures. Badger and Winter have documented wildflower environments from below sea level in Death Valley National Park to the high, alpine rock gardens above 11,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The exhibit features wildflowers, some exclusive to the Bay Area, like the exotic Tiburon Mariposa Lily found only on Ring Mountain in Marin County.
The project is a visual story about the diverse and delicately balanced ecosystems supporting spectacular explosions of color on our public lands. These protected habitats are being altered by climatic conditions alien to their region, and invaded and replaced by both non-local and non-native species.
Visitors to the San Francisco Main Library’s Jewett Gallery will enjoy the beauty of wildflowers and learn more about them through the exhibit’s educational programs. Speakers will discuss climate change and other important wildflower/conservation issues, and how to become a citizen scientist. Informative maps and text will offer the visitor more insight into this magical and vulnerable world. Behind-the-scenes photos will reveal how the artistic images were created.
Congrats to Rob and Nita!
Story written by Benjamin Ibarra (provided by Rob & Nita)