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