Nature Cards

A natural tie between my personal life and profession as a curator is that I like to collect. Growing up, my books of stickers rivaled those produced by any of my friends, and I likewise had no problem amassing collections of foreign coins, unusual rocks, vibrant autumn leaves, and even water bottles filled half with sand and half with water from rivers or lakes I've traveled to throughout the years. Of course, objects found in nature were among the most revered in my collections. 

Here I am presenting a card made of oak and other deciduous leaves, and a rather heavy rock.

I was brought back to those early days as a curator-in-training when someone from our community recently gave me a handmade card covered in pieces of local nature she had collected. The card was a simple gesture, but it struck me as something so fitting to my taste. This of course was more refined than my childhood creations, but constructed with similar intent. Glued to the front was a scrap of wasp nest, foliose lichen of seafoam green, a down feather, and a clipping of Labrador tea leaves. Ah, the perfect gesture to brighten my day! 

Thank you to a special community member for this thoughtful card!