News and Updates

ASBA Honored With Prestigious Award

On April 21, 2026, at its 113^th annual meeting in New York City, the Garden Club of America presented the Eloise Payne Luquer Medal to the American Society of Botanical Artists for conveying the beauty and botanical characteristics of plants while promoting environmental stewardship.

Founded in 1913, with a current membership of 18,000 in 200 local garden clubs, the GCA’s mission is to bring clubs together to cultivate the bond among people, plants, and the environment. Annually, the GCA honors up to ten individuals or organizations with their highest honor – a national medal. These individuals and organizations have left a profound and lasting impact on the issues that are most important to the Garden Club of America.

In front of an audience of 400 including club presidents and other GCA organizational leaders, Jody Williams, executive director, accepted the award on behalf of ASBA. She conveyed during her acceptance remarks that we are proud to be an Organizational Collaborator with the Garden Club of America. Thank you for featuring several of our members’ artwork in your magazine. Our mutual bond extends far beyond that though, to respect, admiration, and reverence for the beauty and diversity of plants and a recognition of the vital role plants play in our human existence. Also, we share, through our artwork and your gardens, a desire to raise awareness of environmental stewardship, ecological sustainability, and plant conservation. We look forward to continuing to find ways in which we can jointly advance our missions and are confident that there are many worthy collaborative pursuits ahead for ASBA and GCA.

ASBA would like to thank Jane Harris of the Middletown Garden Club for nominating ASBA for this award and Julie Sakellariadis, GCA Awards Committee Chair. ASBA also thanks Dr. Shirley Sherwood, OBE, The Sherwood Collection, Kew, Danielle Eady, Programs Director, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Peter Trippi, Editor-in-Chief, Fine Art Connoisseur, Dr. David Lorence, Senior Research Botanist, National Tropical Botanical Garden, and Christiane Fashek, Artist, Teacher, and Botanical Illustrator for their letters of support. And finally, thank you to our members, officers, directors, staff, and volunteers - past and present, who have made ASBA what it is today. This award honors the entire ASBA community.

For more information about the medal, past recipients, other 2026 medalists, and videos of the awards ceremony, visit https://www.gcamerica.org/medalists

“[ASBA] has undoubtedly supported and encouraged the huge expansion in botanical art since I started collecting in 1990. The whole field has become extremely exciting and youthful as well as helping to create wonderful images of plants.” ~ Dr. Shirley Sherwood

“The organization’s culture is built on generosity and mentorship, creating a unique environment where artists share knowledge and inspire one another. Having worked in the arts for over a decade, I have encountered no other organization as deeply committed to both advancing artistic techniques and connecting artists with the public through exhibitions and programs.” ~ Danielle Eady

“The U.S. art market teems with paintings, drawings, and prints that depict plants and flowers, but the best ones are almost always created by ASBA members. Their knowledge of how botanical forms actually look is unrivaled, and the rigor they demonstrate in research and technique is impressive.” ~ Peter Trippi

“I learned that the ASBA was established in 1994 with a mission to provide a thriving, interactive community dedicated to perpetuating the tradition and contemporary practice of botanical art. Their vision is that botanical art will be considered a significant, relevant, and respective contributor to 21st century art, recognized for its unique power to educate, promote ecological awareness and enrich our lives. My first-hand experience with members of the ASBA has demonstrated that their organization is accomplishing all of these things, and more.” ~ Dr. David Lorence

“In 2022, I was awarded the ASBA’s Esther Plotnick Artist Grant to teach elementary school students the role of botanical art, the basics of lichen botany, how to observe, draw, and enlarge lichens, and how to paint them with colored pencils… ASBA’s Grant allowed me to teach about the wonders and travails of the living organisms in our communities to help students develop curiosity about and respect for the environment.” ~ Christiane Fashek

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