The LAEG is first and foremost an educational resource for the UGA community and general public, serving as a unique vehicle for teaching people about Latin America through the region’s seemingly endless diversity of useful plants. The LAEG was the site of several exciting events during its first year. Foremost among these was an opening ceremony for the garden. The university community was invited to participate in a first planting ceremony on October 12, 1998, honoring UGA ecologist Eugene P. Odum. He planted an Alnus acuminata (Andean Alder) tree next to the footbridge in the Garden, where it thrived for over a decade. Andean folk music and dance was performed by Grupo Cultura and traditional Peruvian food was provided by Athens restaurant Caliente Cab. On April 30, 1999, the LAEG hosted an art exhibit entitled “Sculpture in the Garden,” displaying the works of Rosibel García-Ramirez. Ms. García-Ramirez is a young Venezuelan artist and a member of the Oklahoma Sculpture Society and the National Sculpture Society, USA. She brings the beauty and inspiration of her native state of Zulia and the warmth of Maracaibo into the faces of Latin American children and women in her work. In September of 2000 UGA became the first (and to date only) United States site to host the biennial International Congress of Ethnobiology and during this conference several hundred international registrants participated in the LAEG’s formal inauguration. Since then, there have been dozens of events held in the Garden, including receptions, K-12 garden tours and workshops, art exhibitions, musical performances and poetry readings. We encourage individuals and groups to visit and use the Garden. Please contact LACSI if you wish to make use of the space. Guided tours are also provided free of charge. Below are samples of other events held in the Garden: Paula Culaciati, representative of the Jardín Botánico Dr. Miguel J. Culaciati, Huerta Grande, Córdoba, Argentina, participates in signing of cooperative environmental education program. Other signatories included Dr. Glenn Ames, director of the UGA Office of International Public Service and Outreach, Dr. Jeff Lewis, director of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and Dr. Brent Berlin, director of the UGA Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute and professor of anthropology. Fall Semester 2003. Latin Jazz ensemble Grogus, led by bassist Carl Lindberg performs at the Garden to help LACSI launch festivities for Hispanic Heritage Month, September 2003. Dr. Michael Adams, UGA President, speaks at a reception honoring the life of Emory Cocke Black, son of Jane and Dameron Black, who passed away on June 16, 2003. A consummate Latin Americanist with a passion for serving others, Emory accomplished much in his life, including serving as Assistant to the President of EARTH University in Guacimo, Costa Rica, where his family has been involved for many years. This reception at the Garden was held on May 4, 2004. During a Garden reception held on May 4, 2004 to honor the life of Emory Cocke Black, a plaque was placed among three newly planted Chionanthus virginicus (Fringe Tree). Three Cleveland Road Elementary School 2nd Grade classes visited the Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden on May 12, 2010. The Garden annually hosts tours for 4-6 school groups each year. UGA Department of Anthropology annual Recognition Gathering and Reception, April 23, 2010 UGA Department of Anthropology annual Recognition Gathering and Reception, April 23, 2010 UGA Department of Anthropology annual Recognition Gathering and Reception, April 23, 2010
