2,105 threatened species 

300+ Artists 

1 Exhibition

Australia has 2,105 plants and animals officially listed as nationally threatened.

For the past seven years, artists across Australia have been documenting them - one by one.

Each species is drawn by hand on tiny pieces of repurposed cardboard.

What began at a kitchen table in suburban Melbourne with a drawing of a spotted-tail quoll has grown into an extraordinary collaborative artwork involving over 300 artists of all ages from across Australia.

The project is called Day of the Species.

This April, the exhibition arrives in Sydney for the first time at Victoria Lodge in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, over the 2026 Easter holidays.

EXHIBITION DETAILS

DAY OF THE SPECIES EXHIBITION

April 2 to 20, 2026

Victoria Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney

Visitors will see drawings representing every threatened plant and animal on Australia’s national list. 

Together, these tiny artworks form a powerful portrait of the biodiversity crisis unfolding around us.

WHY CROWDFUNDING AND WHY NOW?

Australia has one of the richest natural environments on Earth, and one of the fastest rates of species loss.

2,105 Australian plants and animals are now officially listed as nationally threatened, and that number continues to grow.

The Day of the Species project began as a simple but powerful idea: to create a visual record of every threatened species in Australia. One drawing at a time, artists across the country have been documenting them, not as scientific illustrations, but as acts of attention and care.

Each small artwork represents a species that is still here… but increasingly at risk of becoming invisible.

Together they form something larger: a collective portrait of Australia’s biodiversity at risk, at a critical moment in time.

Bringing this project to Sydney allows thousands of people to encounter that portrait in person - to see the scale of the challenge, and the beauty of what we still have.

Crowdfunding is a natural fit for this exhibition because the project itself has always been community-driven. More than 300 artists have already contributed their time and creativity. Now we’re inviting the wider community to help bring the exhibition to life.

Your support helps cover the practical costs of presenting the work and making it accessible to the public.

But just as importantly, it helps ensure that these species, and the stories they carry, remain visible.

Because awareness is one of the first steps toward protection.

And visibility is the first step toward care.

Why This Exhibition Matters

Each drawing in Day of the Species represents a living thing that shares this continent with us.

Some are familiar. Many are little known. Some exist only in small pockets of habitat that most Australians will never see.

What unites them is that they are all now officially listed as threatened.

When these drawings are displayed together, the impact is immediate. Hundreds, then thousands, of small artworks accumulate across the walls. Visitors begin to grasp the scale of the biodiversity crisis in a way that statistics alone rarely convey.

The exhibition is not about despair. It is about attention.

By slowing down and looking closely at each species - a frog, a plant, an insect, a bird, we are reminded that biodiversity is not an abstract concept. It is made up of individual lives and unique forms that have evolved over millions of years.

Art has a unique ability to help us see what might otherwise remain invisible.

In this exhibition, the drawings act as quiet witnesses, reminding us of what still exists, and what we still have the chance to protect.

By supporting this project, you are helping ensure that these species can be seen and appreciated by a wider audience.

The funds raised will go towards the costs of exhibiting the artwork, including some of the costs for staging the exhibition in Sydney from 2 to 20 April at Victoria Lodge in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. 

The exhibition is presented in partnership with The Wilderness Society, which has recently taken the project under its wing to help preserve and catalogue this environmental art treasure.

We are raising $7,000 to help cover exhibition costs, including:

• Installation and display materials

• Transport of artworks

• Exhibition signage and interpretation

• Printing costs

• Volunteer hosting support

• Documentation of the project

The artists have donated their work and time.

A Small Contribution Makes a Real Difference

Day of the Species has always been a project built through many small acts of care.

One artist drawing a frog.

Another drawing a rare plant.

Someone else drawing a tiny insect most people will never notice.

Over time, those individual contributions have grown into something much larger, a collective portrait of Australia’s threatened biodiversity.

This exhibition continues that same spirit.

Every contribution to this campaign, large or small, helps bring the work into public view and allows more people to encounter these remarkable species.

Your support helps ensure that these plants and animals are seen, remembered, and valued.

Because what we choose to notice…

is often what we choose to protect.

Thank you for helping 💚