36 | JULY 8 • 2021

A photo of succulents grace
this back porch.

and the Robert Kidd
Gallery, the 3-mile trail
features Tennent's botanical
photographs printed on
weather-resistant materials
that are tucked alongside
trees, flowers and bushes. “It
brings it back to nature,” she
explains.

BEAUTIFYING DETROIT
Yet, Tennent's passion for
botanical art doesn’t stop
there. She’s also partnered
with Daffodils 4 Detroit, an
organization that aims to
plant millions of daffodils
throughout the city. As
perennial flowers, daffodils
would grow back year after
year, showering Detroit in
splashes of yellow.
To support the effort,
Tennent has launched a
Daffodils 4 Detroit collection

that features daffodil-themed
and inspired pieces like
serving trays, notebooks,
pencil pouches and even
scarves and masks.
“Daffodils 4 Detroit is a
really interesting project that
wants to plant a daffodil for
every person in the city,”
Tennent says.
“I’m giving back money
from the line of products
that I created for that charity.
It’s an uplifting sight to see
the daffodils around the city.”
Additionally, Tennent is
an advocate of Alzheimer’s
disease support groups.
Earlier this spring, she

partnered with Neiman
Marcus and the Alzheimer’s
Association for their 2021
Spring Soiree, a shopping
event that raises money
for the association. There,
Laurie signed copies of her
book BOTANICALS: Intimate
Portraits.
For the artist, it was an
important mission: her
mother, grandmother and
great-grandmother all died
with early onset dementia by
age 72.
Now, as she continues to
give back to the community
in numerous ways, Tennent
also runs her current

Birmingham gallery (Laurie
Tennent Botanicals) while
she plans a trip to Tuscany,
Italy, in September for a
photography workshop. She’s
also teaching photography
classes at Birmingham
Bloomfield Art Center,
Cranbrook and in her own
studio.
“I really am passionate
about my work helping other
people,” Tennent says.
“If you can do something
beautiful that other people
love, and may bring not only
beauty to their home, but to
help a good cause, that is a
huge importance for me.”

Fern

ARTS&LIFE
ON THE COVER

continued from page 35

Dahlias