Santa Barbara Botanic Garden invites visitors to Join the Enlichenment, and discover a new interactive art exhibit that brings the quiet brilliance of lichens into focus through science, art, and hands-on creativity.

At Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, the study and collection of lichens is helping better understand community ecology, land-use change, and the impacts of climate change.
At Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, the study and collection of lichens is helping better understand community ecology, land-use change, and the impacts of climate change. (Courtesy photo)

The new exhibit, now open at the Pritzlaff Conservation Center Gallery, runs through Dec. 7.

Lichens — those intricate, often unnoticed organisms found on rocks, trees, and soil — are neither plants nor animals, but a complex alliance of fungi, algae and microorganisms that thrive through symbiosis, surviving in places where few others can, according to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

At the garden, the study and collection of lichens is helping better understand community ecology, land-use change, and the impacts of climate change.

“I was driven to share some of the behind-the-scenes work happening in the garden’s lichenarium. Lichens invite us to notice the small, often overlooked details that make ecosystems thrive,” said Kevin Spracher, the garden’s interpretation and exhibitions curator.

“By blending science with art, this exhibition invites visitors to slow down, share curiosity, and celebrate these remarkable organisms because getting people to notice and be excited about nature is the first step in getting them to protect it,” Spracher said.

In this new exhibit, members of the garden’s Conservation and Research Department turn their research and experiences as naturalists into art and narratives offering visitors of all ages a chance to explore how lichens shape ecosystems and spark scientific curiosity.

In addition, a curated selection of specimens from the Garden’s 55,000-specimen Lichenarium  — one of California’s largest — is on display for the first time, showcasing the role of lichens in understanding biodiversity, land use, and climate change.

Visitors are invited to get hands-on in the gallery’s interactive printmaking and zine-making station or settle into a cozy reading nook filled with lichen-inspired zines.

Join the Enlichenment is free to visit with the cost of admission to the Botanic Garden. Reservations are required; click here.

Highlights of the exhibit include:

  • A Glimpse Inside the Lichenarium: Specimens from the Garden’s research collection, typically not open to the public, are on display, illustrating the lifecycle of a scientific specimen from field to archive.
 
  • Zines by Scientists: Mini-magazines created by garden staff in collaboration with Santa Barbara’s Bird in Hand Press, translating scientific insight into personal, illustrated narratives.
 
  • Interactive Art Station: Visitors can make their own zines or layered prints inspired by the collaborative nature of lichens.