Family Day: Celebrating Africa!

Come to the Visitor Center at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia Saturday morning – November 3^rd - from 10 a.m. to noon. As part of the UGA African Studies Institute 25^th anniversary celebration, the Garden, the African Studies Institute and the Georgia Museum of Art are coming together to Celebrate Africa!  

 

At this family friendly event, visitors will have the opportunity to explore African culture, plants, cuisine and art through an African dance class, storytelling and much more. Children can make their own African drum or a bracelet, learning as they have fun. Listen to a storyteller or drummer (none other than the very talented Arvin Scott!) Dancers will spend time with curious children, teaching them a few moves after the dance performance. The whole event is only two hours long, so don’t miss a minute! Here is the schedule for Saturday:

Performance Schedule (upstairs)

10:00   Drumming - Arvin Scott, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, UGA

10:30   African Singing - Savior Anyidoho, African Fellowship Music Ensemble
11:00   Storytelling - Karim Traore, African Studies Institute, UGA  
11:30   Dancing, African Student Union, UGA

 

African Activities in the Gardenside Room (downstairs)
 
·         Origins of Humans:  Skulls Collection - Dr. Norm Thompson
·         Make Your Own African Drum - Georgia Museum of Art
·         Maasai Beaded Bracelets - Georgia Museum of Art
·         What are Some Popular Snacks in Africa?
·         Mapping African Countries through Natural History & Culture - State Botanical Garden
·         Images from Africa--Culture and People

 

For more information, please call 706-542-6156 or visit botgarden.uga.edu.

 

 

It's that time of year again!  We are now accepting artwork for our statewide art competition sponsored by the J.A. and H.G. Woodruff, Jr. Charitable Trust.  If you're a Georgia student in the 9th grade or above, including both full and part-time college students, we want to see your artwork.

The artist with the first place winning piece will be awarded $1,000.  There will also be second and third place awards of $500 and $250, respectively, as well as certificates of merit. 

Winning artwork will also be used to create items such as T-shirts, stationary, and totes, to be sold in the Garden's gift shop, therefore pieces should follow guidelines closely.  Artwork must be two-dimensional in square, horizontal, round, oval, or vertical format and be within 24" x 36".  Pencil, pen and ink, photography, collage and computer enhanced graphics are all welcomed.  Please remember to sign your artwork.
For more guideline information and the entry form visit  http://botgarden.uga.edu/docs/visit/artcomp.pdf#.

Submissions will be taken at the lower level of the Callaway Building at the Gardens or mailed to Connie Cottingham at 2450 South Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA, 30605.

Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2012, at 3 p.m.

Perennial Symposium Focuses on Plants from Around the World

Plants that are familiar in Georgia’s landscapes and on our dinner table and the plants we use for medicine come from all over the world. Embark on a day-long plant exploration at Plants from Around the World in our Everyday Lives: Ornamentals, Foods, Drinks & Medicines on Tuesday, October 16. Learn from several experts about plants that have come here from Mexico and the desert Southwest, the Mediterranean, Africa, and China. Knowing more about the origins of these plants helps us to understand the best growing conditions for them to thrive in our gardens and to choose the best plants for specific growing conditions. This symposium will also include a talk about important drinks of the world: coffee, chocolate and tea, and how these crops affect environments, cultures and songbirds. After hearing about plants from throughout the world, participants are invited to stretch their legs and follow International Garden Curator Billie Gotsch on a walking tour through the International Garden.

This symposium will be held on Tuesday, October 16 from 8:45 am to 3:00 pm in the Callaway Building Auditorium, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 South Milledge Avenue, Athens and costs $60 (including a buffet lunch.) Preregistration is required. A plant sale offering perennial plants will be held in the front plaza of the Callaway Building and open to the public from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm. For more information or to register call 706-542-6156 or visit botgarden.uga.edu.

Free Concert on Sunday, October 21

Come join the Athens Flute Choir in The State Botanical Garden of Georgia’s Visitor Center/ Conservatory for their fall concert, 'Food for the Body, Food for the Soul' – Sunday, October 21 at 2:00 pm. The AFC is a non-profit community music ensemble dedicated to the enrichment of Athens and the surrounding areas through music performance. Admission is free, donations accepted.  www.athensflutechoir.org