Botany ArtBreak with Dr. John Nelson

On opening day of Art Blossoms, Dr. John Nelson, curator emeritus for the A.C. Moore Herbarium at UofSC, presents a crash course on plant diversity as well as a basic understanding of how flowers are “put together.” Strengthen that green thumb with an appreciation of the complexity and variety of flowers around us. Grab a beverage from Azalea Coffee Bar before or after the talk. Don’t worry, there’s no quiz! But there are floral arrangements in Art Blossoms that you can explore to test your new knowledge. Gallery admission and one beverage from Azalea Coffee Bar included in registration.

$20 / $16 for members. Priority registration for members only through Friday, March 18. Join today!

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Dr. Nelson was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. He holds a bachelor's degree in biology from UofSC, a master’s degree in botany from Clemson University, and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Florida State University, where he studied floral anatomy. His academic training was followed by six years with the SC Heritage Program as ecologist and then botanist. Nelson began a faculty appointment in biological sciences at UofSC and assumed the role of curator of the herbarium. Since retiring in 2018, he remains active in the herbarium and with field work, collecting plants and preparing scientific specimens. He remains committed to public service through a formal offering of free plant identifications in a syndicated, weekly newspaper column called Mystery Plant. Nelson is also a regular guest on the “Mystery Doctor with the Mystery Plant” segment of Clemson’s Making it Grow! TV series.