Native Botanicals Workshop with Maria Ppiros

Accompany Maria in this interactive, activity-based workshop to engage with your senses and connect with nature. We will explore native South Australian edible flora, focussing on a handful of particular Kaurna botanicals (some of which feature in the Nature Revealed exhibition), to learn about the intersections between botanical illustration, science, food and mindfulness to engage and reconnect with nature.

Through a series of guided activities including observations of nature, botanical illustration activities and learning about the taste profiles of native ingredients, you will have the opportunity to engage with nature and connect with like-minded people. All materials will be provided on the day, including live floral specimens, special native ingredient tastings and illustration materials.

Please provide dietary requirements during the ticket/booking process when prompted.

Maria would like to acknowledge that these workshops will be conducted on land that is the traditional lands of the Kaurna people and she respects their past, present and future relationship with their Country.

About the presenter

Maria Ppiros is a researcher and educator based in Adelaide, South Australia, currently in the final stages of her PhD at the University of South Australia. She is passionate about her research which focuses on native South Australian flora, particularly Kaurna edible flora, to investigate how the role of botanical illustration as an educational tool can foster pro-environmental attitudes. Her interdisciplinary research places importance on encouraging human-nature connections by engaging with participants, utilising transformative learning and participatory research such as activity-based workshops. Her research aims to encourage ecological awareness, exploring themes of botany, health and food to challenge anthropocentric world views. Maria’s research also aims to challenge and decolonise historical representations of botanical illustration and to communicate Kaurna flora through a botanical voice that captures the heartbeat of nature and Country.