23 and Mary: A Banning Abecedarium 

by Maya Han
2025; USA; digital video; 20 minutes (2 min. excerpt above)

Premiere at the 4.4.2025 opening reception of the exhibition “Outcasts: Mary Banning’s World of Mushrooms” at the New York State Museum, Albany NY

23 and Mary: A Banning Abecedarium, is a poetic and illuminating glimpse into the life and art of Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822-1903), a pioneering 19th century American mycologist. Self-taught, and one of the first and only women in the then-burgeoning field of mycology, Banning identified 23 new species of fungi. Her bold and spirited approach to her life, art, and the natural sciences is an inspiring story for all. 

Until now, nearly nothing had been available on Banning’s life and legacy. Her magnum opus, Fungi of Maryland — 175 stunning watercolor illustrations with scientifically accurate descriptions –– languished unpublished, hidden away and forgotten for nearly a century.