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A MEDICINE TO THE MIND Early Gardening Catalogs at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Maximus Gallery curator Linda Miller emphasizes the importance of appreciating not only the artistic and scientific value of the items in the exhibition, but also the amount of time and effort that went into their creation: by the botanists who carefully uncovered worlds beneath the petals of countless species; by the painters who with their brushes carried those worlds from the soil and laid them gently upon sheets of paper; and by the horticulturalists who established great gardens, incubating flora from around a world in which many places were still mostly known only by stories beheld in amazement. The exhibit’s title, A Medicine to the Mind, was inspired by scenes like that of the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, which was established by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in 1673 to grow plants that could be used as medicine. A drawing of its extensive grounds occupies much of the wall facing the exhibit entrance. Plants as a source of heal-
ing, comfort, and joy provide a common thread in the exhibition. Miller said that in a year poisoned by a global pandemic and other traumatic events, the interest in gardening and growing things has blossomed, and like the coming of day after night, a garden’s cyclical replenishment offers the promise of a brighter future. The exhibit does, however, include a potentially cautionary tale. In 1637, at the height of its golden age, the Dutch Republic suffered a severe socioeconomic blow when the price of tulips collapsed due to rampant speculation. A series of watercolor paintings depicting the various bulbs of this Iranian flower in multicolored glory includes one particularly vivid type that’s ribbed with dark red streaks. The so-called Tulip Mania that engulfed the Netherlands is one of several events documented in this exhibition that binds horticulture to larger historical concepts. Miller explains that gardening catalogs reflect not only the shifting popularity of various plants, but also technological trends such as the evolution of color printing. Between 1848 and 1856, Charles M. Hovey (1810-1887) published a series of illustrated books titled The Fruits of America, which he framed in terms of national prestige for the fledgling United States. “There is a national pride too, which I feel in the publication of a work like this,” Hovey wrote, “and that is, that the delicious fruits which have been produced in our own country, many of whom are surpassed by none of foreign growth, will be here fully depicted.” Visiting A Medicine to the Mind is a thought-provoking experience, and one might venture to extrapolate from the material provided. But for all the temptation to do so, Miller says that it is important to stay grounded in the apparent beauty and straightforward knowledge that the exhibition has to offer. —Nicholas Liu
PAUL WELLMAN FILE PHOTO
PIANOS ON STATE NEEDS YOU You’ve no doubt seen them before, even if, after a year of quarantine restrictions, the memories are beginning to fade. Pianos on State is Santa Barbara’s annual festival of impromptu music-making and highly imaginative piano decoration. Scheduled to return to State Street for the first time since 2019, this program needs people to come up with and execute exciting designs for the upright pianos it will distribute throughout the downtown area during the Arts and Humanities month of October. Interested artists should submit applications through the Community Arts Workshop application portal (sbcaw.org/pianos) by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 1. Those chosen to participate will gather at SBCAW to paint the pianos October 1-3. Good luck! —CD
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hroughSeptember 6, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Maximus Gallery is showing a collection of gardening catalogs spanning from 1612 to the end of the 19th century. In modern times, a catalog might be considered a mundane object, a mere list of items that we now take for granted, but through viewing this exhibit, one comprehends the wonder that these catalogs and the plants they depicted evoked among people in Europe and the Americas for centuries. They communicate both an intimate knowledge of botany and the painstaking work involved in representing plants in an appealing manner. The art in these catalogs is often highly elaborate. In 17th-century catalogs such as the Florilegium of Dutch nurseryman Emanuel Sweert (1552-1612), plants are usually etched side by side in intricate blackand-white detail. By the 19th century, nearly all of the catalogs were hand-painted or later printed in bright colors. Images are often accompanied by prose at the intersection between scientific fact and religious faith. In one such description, British gardener and naturalist George Loddiges (1784/17861846) writes of the Chinese Hibiscus that “its blossoms are beautiful, and give us another instance of the goodness of our gracious Creator.”
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO ELINGS?
MYKAL ROSE With ska, rock steady, dance hall, dub, and roots covering just some of its many subgenres, reggae comes in almost as many flavors as go into a jerk chicken recipe. On Friday, August 20, the fancifully named En Fuego Events team will bring one of reggae’s greatest singers to Elings Park for the second concert in their Evenings at Elings series. At 64, Grammy winner and international reggae superstar Mykal Rose has made countless recordings both under his own name and as a member of the legendary group Black Uhuru. As lead singer and chief songwriter for that group during its period of greatest acclaim, Rose was responsible for a number of hits, including the classic track “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (Natty Dreadlock).” Following 1980’s Sinsemilla and 1981’s Red, the band found themselves touring with the Rolling Stones and picking up the first-ever Grammy Award given in the reggae category for Anthem in 1985. Rose left Black Uhuru after Anthem to retire to Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, where he began growing coffee. Five years later, he was back in the music business with a short-lived deal at major label RCA that resulted in one album. His longstanding and highly productive working relationship with rhythm section Sly and Robbie came to the rescue however, and Rose began releasing a series of singles and then albums with the indie reggae outfit Heartbeat Records. Visitors to the Evenings at Elings event can expect to hear great music not only from Rose, but also from local Santa Barbara reggae bands King Zero, Free Love Project, and DJ Marco. The event will be emceed by Winston the Cool Ruler from the Reggae Sound Clash and KjEE, and if you can’t make it this time, consider coming by on Friday, September 17, for Don Carlos, another reggae great and former member of Black Uhuru as well. Kids under 12 are admitted to the show free. For more information, visit eveningsatelings.com. —Charles Donelan
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AUGUST 12, 2021
THE INDEPENDENT
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