Fungarium! - Clubs, Conks, Collections & More from Iowa's Booming Mushroom Community Exhibit Launch

Event Summary

Join Art McBreen, Treasurer for the Prairie States Mushroom Club, for a narrative and informative presentation about the launch of the Fungarium! Exhibit at Wickiup Hill Learning Center.  The exhibit and Art's compelling story is sure to captivate and add to our excitement in hosting this exhibit from November through February!  The exhibit contains mushrooms collected and preserved by Art, and will include historical information and will tell the story of how this exhibit came to life and has now been traveling and displayed in various Nature Centers and an eastern Iowa museum.  Whether you are curious about mushrooms or about the exhibit itself, this promises to be an interesting look into fungi!

From Fairfield’s Toadstool Club of the 1920s to today’s Prairie States Mushroom Club, Iowa’s fungal fascination has never been bigger. Fungarium! is intended as a sampler of this immense meeting ground where history, science, art and nature intersect, a reflection of the Wood Wide Web that connects trees and underground fungal networks. This exhibit features over three dozen specimens, most collected in Jefferson, Washington and Van Buren counties. Each was then freeze-dried to best preserve color, shape and overall appearance. Artist’s Conks, mushroom-dyed wool, spore prints, calendars, photos and kids’ coloring pages have all been shared by or are on loan from their owners/creators. Posters were generously offered for our use by the North American Mycological Association (NAMA).

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Programs