Why mycological menagerie?

Together, we created “The Mycological Menagerie” Art Gallery to bring the science and beauty of fungi to a broad audience. We believe that sharing knowledge about fungi from both the public and the scientific community is imperative in building confidence for local mushroom lovers and for understanding the marvelous menagerie that is mycology.

Through photography, traditional ink and paper, and other mixed media art, we seek to support the understanding of fungi in the eyes of the public by demonstrating how 

Fungi unite us all. 

The Mycological Menagerie seeks to decrease the stigma against fungi in the public eye. Following in the footsteps of artists and Mycologists like Beatrix Potter, we aim to show fungi from an artistic point of view. We seek to connect the community to fungi in a vibrant and artistic way that ignites their spirits! 

Fungi matter. 

Of the estimated 10 million species of fungi that exist on Earth, scientists only know info about 1% of those species (100 thousand species). Fungi are intimately entwined into our society in drug and food production, environmental restoration and rehabilitation, cultural usage and art, and disease prevention and sustainability. However, despite fungi playing these significant roles, public understanding of how fungi unite us is often hidden or absent. 

Our aim is to bring fungi into the spotlight in a communal way and we believe our proposed exhibition will fulfill that need.