M TOP LEFT: “Son-bread,” by Elizabeth Blackwell; “Rosa banksiae” deté; “Caracal male” detail, by Georges Cuvier; “1 Ostrea Multilirata” deTom Fleischner, director of Prescott College’s Natural History Institute, nd; M. Jennifer Chandler, director of the Prescott College Art Gallery at nes a print from the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Col-
The “hopeful side” By the time she graduated from Prescott College in 2007, Josephine Arader had all but given up on a career in on-the-ground conservation. “There were a lot of classes about how to keep the faith while working in these fields, but it was really hard for me,” Arader says. “I didn’t see a way I could work with policy or actual conservation without getting discouraged. … It was too dismal.” She entered the family business, Arader Galleries — a collection of galleries across the country that deal in rare books and art. (It was started by her father, Graham, nearly four decades ago.) This might seem like an about face, except that Arader Galleries specializes in natural history prints. Building on a program Arader’s father started with a school in Florida, the gallery has given large sets of artwork to a handful of educational institutions across the country. (Technically speaking, they lease them to an institution for a few years while raising money to pay for them. At the end of the lease, Arader Galleries
donates the remaining balance.) “It seemed like that kind of program and collection would fit so well at Prescott College,” Arader says. “So, a year or two ago, I emailed Tom Fleischner, who was my mentor and advisor when I was there.” Fleischner, who was wading through the development of the Natural History Institute back then, says the timing was serendipitous. “It sort of came out of the blue,” he says, “but, by coincidence, everything lined up. ... It’s been amazing.” What was initially pitched as a $300,000 collection ballooned to $1.2 million. (By early October, more than half the money had already been raised by Arader Galleries.) Although she can’t make it to Prescott for the “The Art of Natural History” weekend — and, truth be told, she’s a little embarrassed that collection is named after her — Arader says she could think of no better home for these pieces. After all, this kind of work is what inspires people to continue fighting the good fight, she says. “I think that natural history artwork is the hopeful side of things,” Arader says. “It’s a way for us to celebrate the natural beauty of the world.” ***** Visit the Prescott College Natural History Institute
1-5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays at 312 Grove Ave. or online at Prescott.Edu/Natural-History-Institute. Visit the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 232 N. Granite St. or online at Prescott. Edu/Gallery. “The Art of Natural History” celebration and symposium is Nov. 8-10 at both locations. Visit Arader Galleries online at AraderGalleries.Com. James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@Gmail.Com.
Curious about whose work is in the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Collection at Prescott College? There are pieces by John James Audubon, PierreJoseph Redouté, Leonhart Fuchs, Elizabeth Blackwell, Albertus Seba, John Gould, Aria Sibylla Merian, and Mark Catesby, among others.
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