Textiles from Trees: Ugandan Bark Cloth

Textiles from Trees: Ugandan Bark Cloth

A Brown Bag Lecture by Lesli Robertson

For centuries and into today, bark from a specific tree is stripped, beaten, and used by the people of Uganda. The tree, with its bark removed, does not die, but grows its outer covering back to be used again and again, year after year.

Lubugo, or Ugandan barkcloth, has a diverse history from clothing kings to finding its way onto fashion runways in Europe. Lesli Robertson has been traveling to Uganda since 2005, where she first saw this rust colored cloth folded up in a roadside stall. Since, she has worked with artists, researchers, and community leaders in Uganda to assist in promoting and preserving this cloth.

In this lecture, Lesli will give a behind the scenes glimpse into her work and what she has learned from array of stakeholders who love this material, from fashion designers to 9th generation bark cloth makers. Look for her upcoming Maker to Maker: Ugandan Barkcloth hands-on virtual workshop at BRIT in January. Also, visit her studio, www.mekekadesigns.com, to learn more about her current work.

BIO:

Lesli Robertson is an interdisciplinary textile consultant and project developer who partners with local and international organizations to develop impactful engagement through interactive programs. She has recently worked on projects supported by USAID, the Smithsonian Institution, and Fulbright Specialist program, taking her to countries as diverse as Kuwait, Armenia, Uganda, and Ghana. She launched Mekeka Designs in 2018, creating bespoke textile collections with artisans in Uganda. As a former faculty at the University of North Texas, she spent more than a decade teaching textile and visual arts approaches while developing national and international community programs and opportunities.

Register in advance for this meeting:

 https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcqf-ispz0iGN22OV3ocp3GQktwBho1hFaZ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Brandy Watts will discuss her book The Field Photographs of Alain H. Liogier: Plants of Hispaniola, Dominican Republic, 1968-1969. This volume presents a selection of 116 Kodachrome photographs taken by renowned botanist and former BRIT Research Associate Alain H. Liogier while he conducted research in the Caribbean region over a 15 month period in the late 60’s. Focus will also be given to discussing the value of field photographs in botany research.

Instructor: Brandy Watts, BRIT Librarian

Thursday, December 3, 2020 (12 – 1 pm)

Registration Deadline: December 1    

$12/$10 member

Location: Zoom online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

This two-day virtual workshop focuses on the richness of winter botanicals to celebrate the season. Students will complete 1-2 projects (time allowing) inspired by the plants that thrive in the wintertime landscape, using a limited palette. Created for those with some experience in watercolor, this workshop includes a brief review of materials and basic techniques in watercolor.  Students will engage in an ongoing discussion of the unique qualities of this luminous, serendipitous medium. Students will provide their own materials and have their palette set up prior to the workshop. A materials list will be emailed upon registration.

Instructor: Brenda Ciardiello is a Mexican-American artist who paints contemporary landscapes, botanicals, and abstract art that deal with themes of personal connection to nature around the world, as inspired by her travels.  Almost all of her work focuses on using the unpredictable nature of water to depict the unique interplay of color, light and texture in otherwise fleeting elements: water, clouds, and flora. Brenda is heavily influenced by her bicultural and international experience of the world. Born in Mexico City but raised in Texas, she has also lived / studied in Mexico, Italy, the U.K., New York City, New England, the Rocky Mountains and the Middle East. As part of her process she travels whenever possible to capture original source imagery for her work.

Saturday, December 5 & Sunday, December 6 (10 am – 12 pm)

Registration Deadline: December 3

$75/$65 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: A full list of necessary materials will be emailed upon registration; the basic materials include:

• 1 pad or block of 9 x 12 140 lb cold-pressed watercolor paper (Arches)
• 3-4 round watercolor paintbrushes (suggested sizes: 4, 6, 10 and 1” wash brush)
• paints in a palette (Winsor Newton or Daniel Smith primary colors in cool / warm options, at least
• pencil & kneaded eraser
• painter’s Tape (if using loose paper) & particle board to mount paper on
• 2 clear water containers & paper towels

A groovy partnership between the Fort Worth Garden Club, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas provides an opportunity for girls to complete badge work and enjoy nature-based activities together. Join us for some educational fun this year! 

• Time: 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
• Audience: 2nd - 10th grade
• Price per session: $10 /participant per session

Sessions:

• October 10th: Groovy Plants - Completed
• December 5th: Zen Power - Sold out
• January 23rd: Heading to the Beach
• February 27th: Neato, Flower!
• March 27th: Havin' a Blast with Butterflies
• April 10th: Far Out, Wellness

The December 5th session is now sold out. Click here to register for future sessions! 

The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Because physical distancing is difficult to enforce when working with children, a mask requirement, even when outside is necessary for all children’s programming. If you or a family member needs to temporarily remove your mask during a program, designated spaces for this will be available. Activity spaces will be set up according to social distancing needs, and all activity supplies will be either disposable or be used only by one child, then removed for sanitization.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. This includes both adults and younger siblings staying with the group during activities. Please be sure to include both when making your registrations.

Meeting the first Saturday of most months, our Mindfulness Meditation classes invite you to slow down, release the stresses of everyday life, and tune in to the serenity of the natural world. Learn mindfulness practices and techniques from meditation instructor Lisa November, M.A. Ed. Lisa leads her students in unique, hour-long mindfulness meditations, always attuned to the surrounding natural world. When onsite, classes often take place outdoors, weather permitting. During times of social distancing classes take place virtually. 

Instructor: Lisa November is a meditation teacher based in Fort Worth. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in history and communication from the University of Northern Iowa in 1982 and her Master of Arts in Special Education-Moderate Needs from the University of Northern Colorado in 1992. She is a life-long teacher and learner and has been practicing mindfulness based meditation since 1996. Most recently, she has received the 14 Mindfulness Trainings in the Order of Interbeing, Tiep Hien, Ordained Students of Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh in August of 2019. She is also a student of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a proven heath and wellness program from the Oasis Center at the University of Massachusetts.

Saturday, December 5, 2020 (2 pm – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: December 3        

$10/$8 member

Location: This class will take place online; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Self-Guided Explorations provide the freedom to explore the Fort Worth Botanic Garden at your own pace. GROW Educators will not be present during this experience. 

Available: Year-Round,  Monday - Friday 9 am - 3 pm 

$6 /participant (students & registered adults)

Minimum of 20 participants to qualify. 

Any unregistered adult joining on the day of a Self-Guided Exploration will pay the regular garden admission of $12.

Self-Guided Exploration pricing is available for schools, homeschool groups, and after-school programs for children Pre-K-12th grade only. If you want to register a college class or an adult group to visit the garden, please contact Stephanie Sellers for group rates: stephanie.sellers@fortworthtexas.gov

Fill out our quick inquiry form to request a date for your exploration!

Please contact Michelle Schmidlkofer at mschmidlkofer@brit.org with any questions or concerns about Self-Guided Explorations. 

Join textile artist Lesli Robertson and licensed trauma counselor Tiffany Reves to learn healthy ways to manage the stress of a changing world. Using their Self-Care Kits, which began as a conversation between friends and evolved into a textiles-based toolkit for emotional wellness, Robertson and Reves will offer you tactile and therapeutic techniques to deal with the anxiety and stress resulting from COVID-19. Self-Care Kits include instructions for therapy techniques: box breathing, positive self-talk, and grounding techniques. These techniques will be directly tied to a textile based activity using plants, where students will hand dye a face mask with plant materials. Participants will be introduced to the intersection of textiles and therapy, expanding the reach and definition of craft and enhancing well-being and groundedness.

Stay tuned for 2021 Self-Care Workshop dates!

Instructors: Lesli Robertson is an interdisciplinary textile artist and project developer who partners with local and international organizations to develop impactful engagement through interactive programs. She has developed numerous educationally-based trainings and outreach events with the goal of encouraging others to find new perspectives and value on a range of cultural and social topics. These have taken place in countries as diverse at Ghana, Kuwait, Scotland, Uganda, and Armenia. 

Tiffany Reves, MA, LPC-S, NCC is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor and the proprietor and clinical director of R&AC. She has worked in the mental health field since 2006, in her own private practice as well as a group practice, a mental health hospital, and non-profit social services. Tiffany is trained in EMDR and has specialty training in evidenced based practices for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She specializes in working with veterans and individuals who have experienced trauma. In addition, she served 6 years as the Clinical Consultant for the Denton County Veteran's Treatment Court and continues to provide counseling services to individuals in the program. 

Saturday, December 12 (10 am – 12 pm)

Registration Deadline: December 4

$65/$55 member 

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: A self-care kit is included in the price of registration and are available for pickup at BRIT. If you need your kit mailed, we are happy to do so for a $10 postal fee. 

Winner of a 2019 Southwest Book Award (BRLA)

In his latest book, Mesquite, Gary Paul Nabhan employs humor and contemplative reflection to convince readers that they have never really glimpsed the essence of what he calls “arboreality.”

As a Franciscan brother and ethnobotanist who has often mixed mirth with earth, laughter with landscape, food with frolic, Nabhan now takes on a large, many-branched question: What does it means to be a tree, or, accordingly, to be in a deep and intimate relationship with one?

To answer this question, Nabhan does not disappear into a forest but exposes himself to some of the most austere hyper-arid terrain on the planet―the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts along the US/Mexico border―where even the most ancient perennial plants are not tall and thin, but stunted and squat.

There, in desert regions that cover more than a third of our continent, mesquite trees have become the staff of life, not just for indigenous cultures, but for myriad creatures, many of which respond to these “nurse plants” in wildly intelligent and symbiotic ways.

In this landscape, where Nabhan claims that nearly every surviving being either sticks, stinks, stings, or sings, he finds more lives thriving than you could ever shake a stick at. As he weaves his arid yarns, we suddenly realize that our normal view of the world has been turned on its head: where we once saw scarcity, there is abundance; where we once perceived severity, there is whimsy. Desert cultures that we once assumed lived in “food deserts” are secretly savoring a most delicious world.

Drawing on his half-century of immersion in desert ethnobotany, ecology, linguistics, agroforestry, and eco-gastronomy, Nabhan opens up for us a hidden world that we had never glimpsed before. Along the way, he explores the sensuous reality surrounding this most useful and generous tree.

Mesquite is a book that will delight mystics and foresters, naturalists and foodies. It combines cutting-edge science with a generous sprinkling of humor and folk wisdom, even including traditional recipes for cooking with mesquite.

At a loss for how to handle the pests in your greenhouse? Then join us for a morning of solutions! Garden expert Jeffrey Myers will share his successful approaches to pest management in this virtual class, taking your questions and helping you in your journey to a manageable greenhouse environment. 

Instructor: Jeffrey Myers has been the rose gardener at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden since December of 2008. A graduate of Penn State University, he received degrees in Agricultural Education and Horticulture.  After college, he taught high school agricultural science before joining the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society where he served as a community garden coordinator, senior education specialist, and Country administrator for the society’s neighborhood greening program, Philadelphia Green.  Jeff spoke to area garden clubs, presented workshops at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and appeared on HGTV’s Philadelphia Flower Show specials.  Jeff created a horticultural job skills training program and community kitchen garden for residents of a homeless shelter in Southwest Philadelphia. In Phoenix, Jeff worked for the Arizona Department of Agriculture as an inspector and the state’s Noxious Weed Coordinator, traveling throughout the state locating invasive plant species and working with area groups and agencies to control and remove the pest. Jeff also acted as the Department’s liaison to the Governor’s Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council. 

Thursday, January 7, 2021 (10 – 11:30 am)

Registration Deadline: January 5

$25/$20 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Learn the basics of seed starting for healthy transplants and expand the varieties of plants growing in your garden. You will gain an understanding of seed starting and seeded pots that can become the foundation for your home garden.

Instructors: Instructors Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic, owners of Barking Cat Farm, teach others to grow high quality crops in an organic and sustainable manner, just as they do. Brix testing is done regularly to monitor the nutritional quality of the produce and compost and compost teas are applied to the soil to ensure that soil biology is constantly improving. Both Laurie & Kim have their Permaculture Design Certificate from Geoff Lawton’s Permaculture Design Course. Both have studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham and are working towards becoming Certified Soil Life Consultants. They offer permaculture design and soil biology consulting services to other growers and gardeners.

Saturday, January 9, 2021 (10 am – 12 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 7

$30/$25 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Join Culinary Dietitian Dixya Bhattarai, MS, RD, LD for this virtual & interactive workshop focused on gut health and how it impacts overall health and well-being. The class will focus on improving gut microflora using an ancient preservation technique, fermentation. Dixya will share how to incorporate various probiotic and prebiotic-rich food into your diet. This class is a mix of brief lecture and hands-on activity where each participant will learn how to make both kimchi and lacto-fermented hummus. 

Instructor: Dixya Bhattarai, MS, RD, LD is a Fort Worth-based Registered Dietitian & Food and Nutrition Expert. She graduated with a major in dietetics and a minor in Biology from Idaho State University in 2010 before she received a Master of Science in Nutrition in 2016 from Texas Woman’s University. Dixya didn't grow up cooking, but being far from home she craved Nepalese dumplings and her mom's cauliflower curry, which forced her to learn and recreate them in her American kitchen. When she's not working at the hospital, she's probably at a dumpling pop-up, teaching cooking classes, or developing recipes for her website Food, Pleasure, and Health. 

Saturday, January 9, 2021 (1 – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 7

$28/$25 member 

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: Participants will receive a workshop packet, including recipes and a grocery shopping list for the class, upon registration. Groceries will average $15 - $20 and many ingredients will last for multiple batches. 

Healthy gardens start with healthy soil. But how do you get there? Learn the fundamentals of building healthy soil and keeping it that way with Bob Byers, Assistant Director and VP of Horticulture. You will leave with practical tools to create the healthy garden you've always wanted. 

Instructor: Bob Byers is Assistant Director and Vice President of Horticulture. He joined the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as Director in 2015. Bob learned to love gardening and plants working beside his parents in family gardens as a child. After college, he worked professionally as a landscape architect in Wisconsin, Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas before a 21-year career as the Director of Operations and Associate Executive Director for Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He is enjoys growing vegetables and flowers in his home garden in Willow Park and learning the large and varied flora of Texas.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 (6:30 – 8 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 15        

$25/$20 member

Location: This class will take place online; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

How many wild ferns grow near you? Where can you find them? What do they look like? And what are the best months to go fern-hunting in the DFW metroplex? These are questions that Dr. Alejandra Vasco, Research Botanist and Fern Curator of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, will answer during this ferntastic virtual class where we will take a closer look at some of the amazing native ferns that grow in our area.

Instructor: Alejandra Vasco, PhD is a Research Botanist at BRIT.  Her research interests are taxonomy and systematics of ferns, the genetic networks controlling leaf development in ferns, and the comparative morpho-anatomy of leaves in ferns. She leads the Taxonomy and Evolution of Ferns and Lycophytes Program at BRIT, where she has worked since 2017. She obtained her B.S. in Biology from the University of Antioquia, in her native Colombia, and her PhD in Botany in the joint program between the City University of New York and the New York Botanical Garden.

Saturday, January 23, 2021 (10 – 11:30 am)

Registration Deadline: January 21        

$25/$20 member

Location: This class will take place online; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

This virtual workshop is focused on gut health and how it impacts our overall health and well-being. The class will focus on improving gut microflora using an ancient preservation technique – fermentation. Dixya will share how to incorporate various probiotic and prebiotic-rich food on a regular basis. You will enjoy a brief lecture and a solo, hands-on activity where you will learn how to make sauerkraut (with an option to add pineapple and turmeric) and tepache, a Mexican fermented pineapple beverage.

Instructor: Dixya Bhattarai, MS, RD, LD is a Fort Worth-based Registered Dietitian & Food and Nutrition Expert. She graduated with a major in dietetics and a minor in Biology from Idaho State University in 2010 before she received a Master of Science in Nutrition in 2016 from Texas Woman’s University. Dixya didn't grow up cooking, but being far from home she craved Nepalese dumplings and her mom's cauliflower curry, which forced her to learn and recreate them in her American kitchen. When she's not working at the hospital, she's probably at a dumpling pop-up, teaching cooking classes, or developing recipes for her website Food, Pleasure, and Health. 

Saturday, January 23, 2021 (1 – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 21    

$28/$25 member

Location: Zoom online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: Participants will receive a workshop packet, including recipes and a grocery shopping list for the class, upon registration. Groceries will average $15 - $20 and many ingredients will last for multiple batches. 

It's cold outside, but it's the perfect time to dream about your landscape's design from the comfort of your sofa. Engage your imagination in this exploration of landscape design approaches and techniques, for beginners. Master Gardener Steve Cheney will share his knowledge and experience, inspiring you as you reimagine your home landscape. 

Instructor: Steve Chaney learned to love the garden from a very young age. After receiving two BS degrees from Oklahoma State University in Landscape Architecture and Marketing, he owned and operated a design/building firm for over ten years before joining the Extension family and acquiring his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Education. He first served as a CEA in Wichita County and, after four years, continued his service to the community as a CEA in Tarrant County, where he still continues to make a significant impact. His experience and expertise have helped to make the Tarrant County Home Horticulture programs recognized as “tops in the state."

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 (10 – 11:30 am)

Registration Deadline: January 25       

$25/$20 member

Location: This class will take place online; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Get your trees and shrubs in shape before the burst of spring in this blended workshop with Japanese Garden Horticultural Manager, Nick Esthus. You will enjoy a pre-recorded lecture as well as attend a pruning demonstration in the Japanese Garden. Topics will include best pruning practices for small trees, shrubs, and other materials and how pruned plants impact your garden design. Plant biology and physiology and how it pertains to pruning will also be discussed. You will also learn tips on sharpening your pruning tools. 

Instructor: Nick Esthus is the Senior Gardener for the Fort Worth Japanese Garden located at Fort Worth Botanic Garden.  His previous work experience includes garden curator at Memphis Botanic Garden’s Japanese garden, Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Garden at Ohio State University, and nursery intern at Longwood Gardens.  He holds an Associate’s degree from Columbus State Community College in Landscape Design and a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Horticulture from Ohio State University. Nick specializes in Japanese garden design, maintenance and installation both FWJG and private clients.  

Saturday, February 6, 2021 (9 – 10:30 am)

Registration Deadline: February 4     

$28/$25 member

Location: The pre-recorded lecture will be sent to you a week prior to the live demonstration portion of the class; if you register less than a week before the live demonstration, you will receive the recording upon registration. All students will have access to the recorded lecture for one week following the class. You will receive emailed directions to the onsite pruning demonstration the day before the class. 

Join us to discover the essential elements of vegetable gardening in North Texas. A special emphasis will be given to the planting site – in ground, raised beds, and containers – and vegetable varieties for our locale will be recommended.

Instructor: Harold Annis has been a Tarrant County Master Gardener since 2011, when he completed the advanced training for vegetable gardening. Like many, he gained a mountain of knowledge from his Grandmother who he lived with and gardened with during college years. He currently gardens in Southlake where he has a large vegetable garden, growing everything from asparagus to zucchini. 

Saturday, February 6, 2021 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: February 4      

$25/$20 member

Location: This class will take place online; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Join textile artist Lesli Robertson and licensed trauma counselor Tiffany Reves to learn healthy ways to manage the stress of a changing world. Using their Self-Care Kits, which began as a conversation between friends and evolved into a textiles-based toolkit for emotional wellness, Robertson and Reves will offer you tactile and therapeutic techniques to deal with the anxiety and stress resulting from the pandemic. Self-Care Kits include instructions for therapy techniques such as breathing practices, positive self-talk, and grounding techniques. These techniques will be directly tied to a textile-based activity using plants. Participants will be introduced to the intersection of textiles and therapy, expanding the reach and definition of craft, and enhancing well-being and groundedness.

Instructors: Lesli Robertson is an interdisciplinary textile artist and project developer who partners with local and international organizations to develop impactful engagement through interactive programs. She has developed numerous educationally-based trainings and outreach events with the goal of encouraging others to find new perspectives and value on a range of cultural and social topics. These have taken place in countries as diverse at Ghana, Kuwait, Scotland, Uganda, and Armenia. 

Tiffany Reves, MA, LPC-S, NCC is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor and the proprietor and clinical director of R&AC. She has worked in the mental health field since 2006, in her own private practice as well as a group practice, a mental health hospital, and non-profit social services. Tiffany is trained in EMDR and has specialty training in evidenced based practices for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She specializes in working with veterans and individuals who have experienced trauma. In addition, she served 6 years as the Clinical Consultant for the Denton County Veteran's Treatment Court and continues to provide counseling services to individuals in the program. 

Saturday, February 13, 2021 (10 am – 12 pm)

Registration Deadline: February 11

$65/$55 member 

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: A self-care kit is included in the price of registration and are available for pickup at BRIT. If you need your kit mailed, we are happy to do so for a $10 postal fee. 

Love your roses? Then help them to love you back! This blended class includes a pre-recorded lecture from resident rose expert, Jeffrey Myers, as well as a hands on pruning experience in the Rose Garden. The lecture will be sent to you a week prior to the hands on portion of the class, where questions will be answered, and roses pruned. 

Instructor: Jeffrey Myers has been the rose gardener at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden since December of 2008. A graduate of Penn State University, he received degrees in Agricultural Education and Horticulture.  After college, he taught high school agricultural science before joining the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society where he served as a community garden coordinator, senior education specialist, and Country administrator for the society’s neighborhood greening program, Philadelphia Green.  Jeff spoke to area garden clubs, presented workshops at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and appeared on HGTV’s Philadelphia Flower Show specials.  Jeff created a horticultural job skills training program and community kitchen garden for residents of a homeless shelter in Southwest Philadelphia. In Phoenix, Jeff worked for the Arizona Department of Agriculture as an inspector and the state’s Noxious Weed Coordinator, traveling throughout the state locating invasive plant species and working with area groups and agencies to control and remove the pest. Jeff also acted as the Department’s liaison to the Governor’s Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council. 

Saturday, February 13, 2021 (1 – 2:30 pm)

Registration Deadline: February 11

$28/$25 member

Location: The pre-recorded lecture will be sent to you a week prior to the live demonstration portion of the class; if you register less than a week before the live demonstration, you will receive the recording upon registration. All students will have access to the recorded lecture for one week following the class. You will receive emailed directions to the onsite pruning demonstration the day before the class. 

Eager to gain new skills in painting your favorite flowers? Then join renowned watercolor instructor Soon Y. Warren for this virtual workshop. Warren will share her tips for capturing the vibrant colors of flowers through the layering of this luminous medium. Essentials such as color theory, effective compositions, and materials will be explored.

Instructor: Soon Y. Warren was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States in 1987. Since she began painting full time in 1998, she has had many exhibitions and earned numerous awards. She is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society (NWS), the Southern Watercolor Society (SW), the Society of Watercolor Artists (SWA) and the Texas Watercolor Society (TWS)–Purple Sage Brush Society. She is one of the featured artists in Splash 8: Watercolor Discoveries and Splash 10: Passionate Brushstrokes. Soon Y. is the author of two books:  Vibrant Flowers in Watercolor and Painting Vibrant Watercolors.

Saturday, February 13, 2021 (1 - 4 pm)

Registration Deadline: February 11

$65/$55 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: A full list of necessary materials will be emailed upon registration. If you are interested in the class but would like more information on necessary materials, please email ewhite@brit.org. 

Going back to school looks different this year and so do GROW Field Study Trips!

Registration is currently open for Virtual Field Study Trips for Kindergarten - 5th Grade. 

Registration for middle/high school Virtual Field Study Trips is coming soon. 

All Virtual Field Trips are priced for a single class with a maximum of 35 students. Payment must be completed before any materials can be shared.

Tree Level - $80 - Includes 1 Self-guided Activity with:

• Teacher's single-page activity sheet

• Pre-activity video

• Post-activity video

Grove Level - $120 - Includes 3 Self-guided Activities with:

• Teacher's single-page activity sheet

• Pre-activity video

• Post-activity video

• Supplemental Documents

• One 30-45 minute live video session with GROW Girl

Forest Level - $140 - Includes 6 Self-guided Activities with:

• Teacher's single-page activity sheet

• Pre-activity video

• Post-activity video

• Supplemental Documents

• Your choice of one or two 30-45 minute live video sessions with GROW Girl!

Click here to download the PDF guide to K-2 Virtual Field Study Trips.
Click here to download the PDF guide to 3-5 Virtual Field Study Trips.

Or click here to submit a request form now!

Do you have a garden, but want to strengthen your vegetable gardening skills? You’ll learn how to be successful this season in your garden with this mix of presentation and conversation. A wide range of topics will be covered including site selection, irrigation, soil biology, specialty gardens like herb, salad and salsa gardens, and much more. This 5 hour seminar is split into two sessions.

Instructors: Instructors Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic, owners of Barking Cat Farm, teach others to grow high quality crops in an organic and sustainable manner, just as they do. Brix testing is done regularly to monitor the nutritional quality of the produce and compost and compost teas are applied to the soil to ensure that soil biology is constantly improving. Both Laurie & Kim have their Permaculture Design Certificate from Geoff Lawton’s Permaculture Design Course. Both have studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham and are working towards becoming Certified Soil Life Consultants. They offer permaculture design and soil biology consulting services to other growers and gardeners.

Saturdays, March 6 & 13, 2021 (1 – 3:30 pm)

Registration Deadline: March 4

$75/$65 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Butterflies bring beauty and the pollination of our fruits and flowers. And they need us to create ecosystems in our gardens to help them flourish. If you’ve always wanted to attract these beautiful pollinators to your garden, this is the class for you! Join one of Fort Worth’s favorite Master Gardeners to learn what you need to build a successful and fun Butterfly Garden. 

Instructor: Theresa Kay Thomas is a TCMGA Master Gardener, NC NPSOT Member and Cross Timbers Master Naturalist. She is Co-lead at the Southwest Regional Library Native Plant Demonstration Gardens.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 (10 – 11 am)

Registration Deadline: March 8

$25/$20 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Explore the pollination dance of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds in this hands-on photography class in our gardens. Pollinators are both a calming and enlivening sight and capturing their dance brings new challenges to many photographers. Join professional photographer and educator Edgar Miller to learn tools to photograph the variety of pollinators visiting our gardens. You will learn the techniques, settings, and equipment needed to capture the vibrant promenade of winged friends. Afterward, venture into the gardens to practice what you’ve learned. You will leave with exceptional photographs and knowledge to use on your solo adventures! Bring your cameras, lenses, and tripods and create lasting memories. This workshop takes place outdoors. Comfortable clothes are recommended. 

Instructor: Edgar Miller is a commercial and fine art photographer and educator, having earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He has taught photography and art for the last 20 years and is always looking for new ways to help his clients learn. His work has been shown and awarded in several Texas and national exhibitions, and he is a member of the Texas Photographic Society and the Texas Artists Coalition. Influenced by his late father and his college photography professor, Edgar continues to find interesting light on interesting subjects. His work can be found at Edgar Miller Images. 

Saturday, March 20 (10 am – 12 pm)

Registration Deadline: March 18   

$35/$30 member

Location: FWBG

*This class will take place outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available.. 

Supplies: Bring your cameras, lenses, and tripods. 

In the perfect class for beginners, students learn watercolor techniques including creating flat and graded washes, dry brushing, and basic color theory. We will cover foundational watercolor basics such as brush selection, color mixing, layering, and the interaction of paint, water, and paper. Enjoy the expertise of instructor and longtime watercolorist, Samantha Peters, and leave with inspiration to continue your journey in botanical watercolor. And don't miss your chance to continue skill-building with our intermediate class, Watercolor: Next Steps, on May 1.

Instructor: Instructor Samantha Peters is a science illustrator based in Dallas. She received her B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology from the University of Texas at Austin and attended the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, leaving once she realized illustrating her study guides was more fun than actually studying them. Afterwards, while living in New York City, she discovered a love of botanical art through classes at the New York Botanical Garden, and decided to pursue science illustration full time, attending the graduate program in Science Illustration at California State University, Monterey Bay. Samantha currently works in the graphics department at the Dallas Zoo and is the President of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Texas Group. Member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and the American Society of Botanical Artists.

Saturday, March 20, 2021 (noon - 4 pm)

Registration Deadline: March 18

$95/$80 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: A full list of necessary materials will be emailed upon registration. If you are interested in the class but would like more information on necessary materials, please email ewhite@brit.org. 

Join us for this six-week Vinyasa flow series, led by Fort Worth yoga instructor Julie Vitek. Take in the tranquil views of nature as you enjoy this slow, meditative yoga flow, connecting movement to the breath. You will leave each session feeling relaxed and refreshed, with a stronger connection to yourself and to the world. All levels are welcome. This is a series; single-classes are not available. 

Instructor: Julie Vitek has her Teacher Training Certification 200 hour Deep Study and Teacher Apprenticeship. She has studied pranayama, asana, meditation, and the chakra system. She teaches conscious, mindful, and joyful flow yoga connecting you to mind, body, and spirit.

Wednesdays, March 24, 31 & April 7, 14, 21 & 28 (9:30 – 10:30 am)

Registration Deadline: March 22

$75/$60 member 

Location: BRIT Terrace*

*Due to ongoing social distancing measures, this class will maintain 6' distance between participants and is held outdoors. Hand sanitizer and masks will be available for use while indoors, though masks are not required during the class. In the case of inclement weather, the class will be rescheduled.  

Materials: A yoga mat and any props you wish to use