Botaniese Kuns

Our mission at Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden is to get people to fall in love with plants, and particularly with our incredible Cape Flora. One of the hardest challenges in doing this is the seasonal nature of wild plants. Flowers often appear only for a few weeks, and geophytes may disappear completely underground during our dry, windy summers. Botanical art doesn’t just communicate the incredible diversity and uniqueness of our local plants, it also captures key life stages in a form we can appreciate year round. It is a permanent reminder of our wild wonders. 

The best works also make us appreciate detail and form that we might never have otherwise noticed. The hundreds of hours skilled artists spend creating, highlights beautiful and important characters that even professional botanists might otherwise miss, or plant parts normally hidden from sight.

We host an annual October exhibition with botanical works from top South African artists every year, and are now developing the James and Shirley Sherwood Botanical Art Collection, the first public permanent botanical art and illustration collection at a South African institution accessible to visitors. 

There are various organisations that people can join to further their curiosity. The Botanical Artists’ Association of southern Africa (BAASA) arranges exhibitions, meetings and talks to further the field of botanical art. Volunteer-based Custodians of Rare and Endangered Species (CREW) are involved in finding, counting and reporting on vulnerable populations. ​

JSS-versameling

The James and Shirley Sherwood Foundation Botanical Art Collection​

The James and Shirley Sherwood Foundation Botanical Art Collection initiated in 2025 is a collection of botanically accurate paintings and drawings of plants linked to SUBG's conservation, research and education priorities. The project will support and grow local botanical art development and local plant awareness, raising the profile of botanical art, generating awareness and interest in the purchase of investment pieces by established artists, and to support, develop and inspire young artists.

Other generous donors have already contributed works to our permanent collection, showcasing world class South African botanical art, and raising the profile of our most threatened and interesting plant accessions. We are working towards a permanent exhibition space with fresh themed displays every 2-3 months highlighting new works, botanical themes or the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden and Stellenbosch University Botany history.

This special collaborative project is the initiative of Karen Stewart M.Phil (Botanical Illustration) and chair of the Botanical Artists' Association of southern Africa's Cape branch and Dr Donovan Kirkwood (PhD Botany Ecology) Curator of the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden. Prof Leanne Dreyer is a key academic partner, the world expert in the megadiverse Cape Oxalis genus and creator of the SUBG's incredible 200-plus species living Oxalis collection. This collection alone is a goldmine as most species have never been illustrated, many are threatened, and some are newly described.

We are grateful for the generous donation from the James and Shirley Sherwood Foundation to upgrade the Garden Gallery space and procure important botanical paintings over the coming two years. Our funders understand the value of urgently preserving our precious plants for future generations. We also acknowledge the donations of our private funders who have purchased 13 paintings for the collection from 2023-2024. ​​

JSS-versameling

Galery