New Fernbank Exhibit Offers a Golden Opportunity to Explore the Color Yellow

Fernbank Museum is embracing a new golden opportunity starting in late August with the opening of Golden Opportunity: Botanical Illustration, a special artistic exhibit showcasing the science of the color yellow — how it occurs naturally in plants, how pollinators see yellow and how the color is used as a pigment — through a collection of art pieces and other objects.

Created by the Denver Botanic Gardens’ School of Botanical Art & Illustration, Golden Opportunity includes 15 botanical art works of yellow plants that were created with colored pencils, watercolors, graphite, ink and mixed media, including the daffodil, Buddha’s hand, sunflower, pansy and more.

Art and nature

“Art and nature are natural companions,” said Jen Tobias, associate director of exhibitions & art collections; curator of art, Denver Botanic Gardens. “We love talking about nature as both material for artists and aesthetic inspiration, and we thought that color would be a fun way to explore the relationship between those two ideas. Showcasing the different ways that plants, natural dyes, and colors are interconnected is also such an interesting way to think about all the different ways the natural world influences our daily life.”

Along with the artwork on display, visitors also have the opportunity to learn how different yellow-based pigments, made from plants such as turmeric, saffron, Dyer’s rocket and marigold, are used in textiles. Guests can admire the natural wonder that goes into creating and coloring everyday objects and appreciate the science and artistic inspiration that comes from botanical sources.

Additionally, visitors will learn more about the daffodil (which has an estimated 18,000 different variations); play a game with flip panels to match dye colors to the plant or animal it comes from; watch a short video explaining how certain insects see the color yellow and how flower color helps aid in the pollination of plants; and view bowls of dye powder that have surprising appearances and origins — such as henna or powder made from cochineal bugs.

Sponsored locally in part by the Francis Wood Wilson Foundation, “Golden Opportunity” is presented in both English and Spanish and will run from August 31, 2024 to January 1, 2025.

For more information about Fernbank or to purchase tickets, visit fernbankmuseum.org.