Reflecting diverse voices, exploring themes on equity, justice, and the impact of nature
Calls for Art
Throughout the year, Brushwood Center issues calls for art for exhibitions, markets, and special projects.
There are no current calls for art, but watch this space!
Exhibitions
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal: Botanical Treasures of the Waukegan Dunes
July 13 – August 31, 2025
Brushwood Center presents a new exhibition, Rooted in the Shadow of Coal: Botanical Treasures of the Waukegan Dunes. It is presented in partnership with the Driehaus Museum to explore perspectives on art and nature in association with their summer exhibition featuring acclaimed botanical artist Rory McEwen, Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature.
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal embraces the tradition of botanical art while expanding to include a wider range of artists and media, all focused on the resilient plants of the Waukegan Dunes. Each artwork in the show includes a reference to at least one, and sometimes several, of these botanical wonders. What has proximity to pollution done to the site? What does it mean to have this surviving and thriving natural environment next to coal ash ponds? In this exhibition, botanical art becomes a lens to consider health, equity, and nature.
