THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES
The Academy of Natural Sciences invited me in August of 2010 to do a solo exhibition in their new Art of Science gallery. They discovered my work through an installation I did in cooperation with the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. The resulting show, Flora Fantastica: The Whimsical Botanical Art of MF Cardamone featured historically relevant plants native to Pennsylvania.
For my exhibition research, I had access to their rare book and folio collection and historic plant specimens. The plant list was developed through conversations with the Director of Exhibits, Barbara Ciega and Botanist Emeritus, Ernie Schuyler. The work included plants specifically related to the early botanical history of Philadelphia and the Academy. These plants were discovered by such notable American figures as Lewis and Clark, and Thomas Jefferson. The pieces shown in this exhibit are now part of the Native Plants of Pennsylvania series.