Story: Lisa Sollie
The University of West Alabama鈥檚 Cahaba Biodiversity Center and Julia Tutwiler Library will host William Bartram and Alabama: A Traveling Exhibit throughout the month of September, exploring the life, travels and discoveries of one of America鈥檚 most influential early naturalist-artists.
The exhibit will officially open with a reception on Thursday, Sept. 3, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at Julia Tutwiler Library. The University community and public are invited to attend.
William Bartram and Alabama tells the story of Bartram鈥檚 1775 journey through Creek territory in what is now Alabama. His four-year expedition through the colonial South, from 1773 to 1777, produced groundbreaking scientific observations and vivid documentation of the people, landscapes and natural resources he encountered.
A naturalist, botanist, artist and writer, Bartram was particularly interested in plants with horticultural potential. During his travels, he documented and described numerous plants, including species that were new to science at the time. He also recorded detailed observations of the largely unaltered landscapes and ecosystems of the Southeast, along with his interactions with Native American communities.
Bartram鈥檚 experiences were published in 1791 in the work commonly known as Bartram鈥檚 Travels. His detailed accounts offer a unique historical record of the Southeast and provide an opportunity to consider how the region鈥檚 landscapes and natural communities have changed over time.
The exhibit was developed by Dr. Kathryn Holland Braund, Hollifield Professor Emerita of History at Auburn University, and is currently touring Alabama. It is sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University and funded in part by the Leah Rawls Atkins Endowed Fund for Excellence and the Ann Draughon Cousins Endowed Fund for Excellence.