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I understand that illustrations can be powerful and valuable. I also understand from this article that nobody is willing to pay for this person's replacement,

I understand that illustrations can be powerful and valuable. I also understand from this article that nobody is willing to pay for this person's replacement, and the current freelancer quoted cannot even find it in themselves to motivate others to do this kind of work. Are these folks becoming endangered, or are there many people available but nobody to pay a living wage? Maybe this article does something to encourage funding these positions? Also: > "The prospect of being among the last of her kind is one of the reasons that Tangerini, who could have retired some time ago, is still here." If the Smithsonian was willing to replace her, I'd imagine that she's actually blocking the future of the career field, rather than helping it. My supposition is that they are not planning on hiring another full-timer.

pvaldes 7y ago
> are there many people available but nobody to pay This. I personally would not have any problem doing a job like that.
- AmericanChopper 7y ago
  Placing this on employers though is silly. The real problem is that there’s not enough people willing to pay for the product, not enough demand for it. I own a lot of cook books, I’ve seen plenty with wonderful illustrations. They are beautiful, but I’d never buy one, because they’re simply much less useful. A cook book with good pictures will help me with what I’m actually trying to do, which is learn how to cook new things.
  - pvaldes 7y ago
    Well, all I can say to that is that taxonomy is a little more complicated than cooking
    - AmericanChopper 7y ago
      You’re saying it requires an even greater level of photographic detail? If there was demand for this product in the market, then the profession wouldn’t be “endangered” (which is also a silly way of describing it, you can train a person to be a botanical illustrator. You can’t train a dog to be a panda).
      - Retric 7y ago
        No you’re completely missing the point. In cooking photos may be more useful than illustrations, but in botany it’s illustrations that are more useful. Therefore it’s on people that want illustrations to find talent not talent’s job to somehow know exactly what skills are required. To use a related example, Walt Disney created a collage specifically to teach the skills he wanted animators to have. We don’t think in those terms, but complaining about a lack of qualified people just means you’re unwilling to train people.
        AmericanChopper 7y ago
        I think you seem to be missing the point. Disney needed more artists than the market had in supply. Institutions dealing with botany have more illustrators than they need. > Bobbi Angell, a botanical artist in Brattleboro, Vt., explains the shift: Floras are not commissioned as they once were; they are laborious and expensive undertakings, botanists retire and are not replaced, and much of plant taxonomy has shifted to the molecular level. > “I get calls from young, aspiring artists, and it’s kind of hard to encourage them,” said Angell The market clearly has a greatly diminished demand for these skills. It has nothing to do with unscrupulous employers, or lack of training. People just stopped buying what they were selling.
        Retric 7y ago
        I am not saying they currently need more artists. I am saying people don’t currently think in terms of a training pipeline. We have the idea that it’s up to employees to train themselves before getting the job. Thus potential illustrators contacting her and the expectation she should encourage them. PS: As to the school, students need to pay to attend cal arts. It’s a clever cost saving means not an internal training program. They saved money even if none of the graduates worked for Disney it still increases supply.

pvaldes 7y ago

> are there many people available but nobody to pay This. I personally would not have any problem doing a job like that.

AmericanChopper 7y ago
Placing this on employers though is silly. The real problem is that there’s not enough people willing to pay for the product, not enough demand for it. I own a lot of cook books, I’ve seen plenty with wonderful illustrations. They are beautiful, but I’d never buy one, because they’re simply much less useful. A cook book with good pictures will help me with what I’m actually trying to do, which is learn how to cook new things.
- pvaldes 7y ago
  Well, all I can say to that is that taxonomy is a little more complicated than cooking
  - AmericanChopper 7y ago
    You’re saying it requires an even greater level of photographic detail? If there was demand for this product in the market, then the profession wouldn’t be “endangered” (which is also a silly way of describing it, you can train a person to be a botanical illustrator. You can’t train a dog to be a panda).
    - Retric 7y ago
      No you’re completely missing the point. In cooking photos may be more useful than illustrations, but in botany it’s illustrations that are more useful. Therefore it’s on people that want illustrations to find talent not talent’s job to somehow know exactly what skills are required. To use a related example, Walt Disney created a collage specifically to teach the skills he wanted animators to have. We don’t think in those terms, but complaining about a lack of qualified people just means you’re unwilling to train people.
      - AmericanChopper 7y ago
        I think you seem to be missing the point. Disney needed more artists than the market had in supply. Institutions dealing with botany have more illustrators than they need. > Bobbi Angell, a botanical artist in Brattleboro, Vt., explains the shift: Floras are not commissioned as they once were; they are laborious and expensive undertakings, botanists retire and are not replaced, and much of plant taxonomy has shifted to the molecular level. > “I get calls from young, aspiring artists, and it’s kind of hard to encourage them,” said Angell The market clearly has a greatly diminished demand for these skills. It has nothing to do with unscrupulous employers, or lack of training. People just stopped buying what they were selling.
        Retric 7y ago
        I am not saying they currently need more artists. I am saying people don’t currently think in terms of a training pipeline. We have the idea that it’s up to employees to train themselves before getting the job. Thus potential illustrators contacting her and the expectation she should encourage them. PS: As to the school, students need to pay to attend cal arts. It’s a clever cost saving means not an internal training program. They saved money even if none of the graduates worked for Disney it still increases supply.