American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA), founded in 1994, is a nonprofit group that promotes awareness of modern botanical art and furthers its development. The society helps in the growth of botanical art through exhibitions, learning and literature that help the public know more about this genre of art. ASBA's mission also includes to let people know about the significance of plants for the planet through various means, such as science, preservation, horticulture and farming. The society also endeavors to broaden the vision of botanical art while maintaining its tradition.
ASBA offers membership to any individual or institution located anywhere in the world who is concerned about botanical art. Its members receive a 32 page quarterly newsletter, The Botanical Artist, which contains details about workshops, exhibition locations and classes. The newsletter also offers book reviews, articles on botanical art and colored copies of members' artworks. ABSA provides day-to-day information to the public and members through its Web site, which includes a calendar, gallery of color artworks and useful links.
The society organizes an annual gathering and conference at different locations throughout the United States, which features a variety of workshops, seminars, meetings and portfolio sharing activities. ABSA also confers several awards and certificates to individual artists in these gatherings.
Exhibitions are the basis of ASBA's mission. They are important for the professional development of the society's members and contribute as a relevant educational tool. They also provide the society with a means to advertise botanical art as skill. ASBA provides assistance and guidance to members who wish to organize exhibitions on the international, national, regional and local levels.
ABSA provides educational support to professional artists to raise the bar of the quality of botanical art. To accomplish this goal, the society has a system of master classes that provide continued education to artists. It also provides a seminar forum to artists where they can discuss artistic and career related issues in small groups. Additionally, the society creates various types of programs for peer assessment and professional evaluation of the artists.
The society also provides several tools to the instructors of botanical art so that they can improve their own and their students' skills. To accomplish this purpose, the society offers a range of courses to instructors that provide tools and exercises for their classes. Moreover, the official web site has a blog where instructors can share their methods of teaching.
ABSA addresses the need of scientific illustrators by exposing them to the work of botanical artists. To realize this goal, the society approaches college and university botany departments and provides them with illustrations. The society also educates the public about the way botanical art fits with scientific illustrations.
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