By Scout Nelson
A special exhibition titled Curious Allies: Exploring Relationships in Fungi, Parasites, and Carnivores is open at the Bell Museum from September 27, 2025, to January 4, 2026. The event welcomes visitors to learn about fascinating plants and the relationships that help them survive. It is part of the Fifth New York Botanical Garden Triennial, presented with the American Society of Botanical Artists.
The exhibition teaches an important idea: no organism on Earth can live alone. Many plants, fungi, and lichens rely on complex relationships that are often unseen but essential for life. These relationships support biodiversity, healthy soils, and strong ecosystems. The show encourages visitors to look closely at these connections and understand how living things depend on one another.
The exhibition includes 50 artworks created by artists from around the world, including pieces from Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, and the United States. Several artists from Minnesota are also featured. The artwork highlights fungi, lichens, parasitic plants, and carnivorous plants in detailed and beautiful ways, helping visitors appreciate the hidden partnerships behind them.
The Bell Museum adds its own educational elements by sharing University of Minnesota research. These displays reveal how scientists discover plant secrets and how artists work with researchers to document new species.
Visitors can also explore real specimens from the University of Minnesota Herbarium and the College of Biological Sciences Conservatory. These collections show a wide variety of plant life studied by scientists.
To make the exhibition engaging for young visitors, the event includes hands-on activities. Children can try a weaving activity, feel textures in a carnivorous plant game, and learn through simple interactive stations. Artists of all ages can also practice drawing real plants and fungi specimens in the gallery.
Overall, this exhibition offers a creative and scientific way to explore hidden connections that help plants survive. It encourages visitors to appreciate biodiversity and understand how these unnoticed relationships play a key role in the natural world.
Photo Credit: istock-pkujiahe
Categories: Minnesota, Education, General