Botanic Illustrator Ellis Rowan – statue proposal – Saturday 26 October

Well known rare plants man Stephen Ryan is coming to Cranbourne Gardens to give a presentation on Saturday 26th October about his campaign to have a life-size bronze sculpture created of internationally renowned botanic artist Ellis Rowan, in Mt Macedon. Sculptor Jennifer Mann is preparing to undertake this project, as a global movement for more statues of notable women is underway.

Botanical Artist Ellis Rowan was born in Melbourne in 1848.

In her time Ellis Rowan travelled over vast tracts of Australia including the Torres Straits, into many places a white woman hadn’t yet been seen. She painted over 3000 works mainly in watercolour and predominantly of flowers, many of which Baron von Mueller used to identify new species. She was probably the best known Australian woman of her time world-wide and the National Library in Canberra holds about 1000 of her works, thought to be the largest collection by any artist held in a single institution anywhere in the world.

Stephen Ryan is a well known horticulturist from Mt. Macedon running Dicksonia rare plants since 1980 and who was host of Gardening Australia for three years, has written several books, does regular radio on 3cr and ABC Melbourne. President of Plant Trust and the Mt. Macedon Horticultural Society for the last 50 years. Patron of both the Royal Horticultural Society of Vic and the Friends of the Geelong botanic gardens and has a long term interest in Ellis Rowan.

Information on donating towards this statue campaign will be available at the event and a proportion of the ticket cost will be contributed to the fund.

This event will be held on Saturday 26th October in the Auditorium at the Cranbourne Gardens, at 2pm. To register for this great event please visit the Cranbourne Friends’ booking system.

Pictures : top, courtesy The Age; bottom, illustration by Ellis Rowan, source National Library of Australia.