A Time to Wake Up with Artist Anna Harding

The Spy recently sat down with botanical artist Anna Harding who currently has an exhibition at Adkins Arboretum titled Wake Up…We Need Everybody. Her show includes a selection of plants, birds, animals, and insects indigenous to the Chesapeake region. Harding selected what she would draw after researching a comprehensive catalog received from the Wildlife & Heritage Service through the Department of Natural Resources. Featured in it were endangered, threatened, extirpated (no longer able to exist in a specific geographic area), and critically imperiled species. Although she chose several from each category, only one extinct creature made the list—the Maryland Darter, a three-inch freshwater fish solely found in Maryland and last seen in 1988. 

Using ultra-sharp graphite and colored pencils, Harding creates amazingly accurate and detailed drawings that invite the viewer to step in for a close look. It is within this intimate look that she hopes people can have a conversation as to why these species are in trouble.

Harding, who minored in art while attending George Washington University, was active as a ceramic artist for over 25 years before turning to botanical art. She has taught her craft at Adkins Arboretum and is a member of the Working Artists Forum. She also co-founded the Botanical Art League of the Eastern Shore in 2021.

Anna Harding’s retrospective runs through September 3 and is part of the Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view at the Arboretum Visitor’s center at 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely.