Laura Poulette is an artist and educator from Berea, Ky., who creates beautiful geographical and botanical studies inspired by the incredible diversity of the Appalachian region. As a 2021 Artist in Residence, Laura has documented the plants and trees of Bernheim in every season with plans to create large-scale drawings and paintings from her experience.
By spending time at Bernheim each season, Laura has been able to walk the same trails, learn the names and characteristics of trees and wildflowers throughout the year and watch plant communities grow and change. The experience provided her with an intimate knowledge of this place and the plants that live here. She spent additional time in the archives to explore the possibility of incorporating our herbarium and species collections into her finished works, which are assembled in a way that resembles large insect or specimen display cases.
We look forward to seeing Laura document and preserve these fleeting seasonal moments in artwork that will live throughout the botanical year.
“I’m endlessly inspired by the amazing diversity of plants and trees found in Kentucky.” – LAURA POULETTE, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
