This is a freshman seminar. If you're a sophomore, junior, or senior interested in this material, you can't take this class (but make an office hours appointment, I'd love to meet you!)
You do NOT need to have plant knowledge or experience
You do NOT need to have an art background
You DO need to be curious and willing to try multiple ways of learning

Diana Scherer, Interwoven, 2016

Q & A

No offense... but this class sounds totally bonkers.

Welcome! It's a good thing to have skeptics the class, as long as you're willing to engage fully in the experiment.

I love plant biology, but I haven't drawn anything since first grade

If you have a science bent but no art-awareness, come on in. And vice versa. The more variety in perspectives the more exciting this class will be.

I can't afford gardening materials right now. And my phone's camera is broken.

No problem. All materials you need will be provided, and will be mailed to you as soon as enrollment is finalized. If you don't have a phone, or its camera doesn't work, just let me know ASAP by email. The Freshman Seminar program and I will help get you a tablet or other device to use.

My living situation is difficult right now. I don't feel like showing my living room to the class / I don't have a sunny spot to leave my plant in / What if my little cousins keep knocking over my plant ...

We can work around almost any situational difficulty. Everyone will get a grow-light to use, to give each seed a fighting chance. But I expect several seedlings will meet unfortunate fates over the course of the semester anyway. So if yours fails I'll send a replacement, or you can sub in any plant around your home that you can check in on daily. And it's fine to use a Zoom background.

Your class meets at 3 am my time.

That's the one problem I can't work around, unfortunately. You do need to be able to attend this class in real time, and this was the only time slot I could use. I hope you'll find a great freshman seminar that meets later in the day.

Maren Hassinger's woven branch sculpture Monument, close up detail

Maren Hassinger, Monuments, 2018 (detail)