Image: This weekend the Georgia Museum of Art celebrated the opening of its new temporary exhibition titled, “We, Too, Are Made of Wonders” which features works themed around night and outer space. Included in the exhibition is a lithograph of the night blooming cactus, Selenicereus grandiflorus: "Night Blooming Cereus" (1942) by Lamar Baker (1908-1994). Our very own Dr. Tanisha Williams contributed to the exhibition with a label commenting on this piece - it is very moving! “As a botanist, I’m captivated by Selenicereus grandifloras, a cactus that blooms only once a year, for a single night. Its large flowers unfurl in darkness, releasing sweet scents that draw in moths and other nocturnal pollinators. For a few brief hours, their worlds intertwine. The cactus offers nectar to sustain its visitor, and they carry its pollen from flower to flower. This fleeting exchange feels almost impossible. So much life depends on one night's events. Yet it reminds me that connection, even when unseen, sustains us. In today’s divided world, the night-blooming cereus offers a quiet lesson in resilience and reciprocity. Survival like hope, begins when we uplift one another." The exhibit runs from January 24 - June 28, is free, and is just a short walk from Miller Plant Sciences! https://georgiamuseum.org/exhibitions/we-too-are-made-of-wonders/ Contributed by Anna Wyngarden.
