The museum, which opened in 1987, resides within a large, pristine, old-fashioned house that features more than 250 historical and contemporary Michigan women as hall of famers.

The photographs in the new exhibit capture different types of plants in various styles of photography, each one a fresh expression of Kauffman’s affinity toward plants.

“Initially I was interested in plants because they’re sculpturally beautiful — I love the forms of them — curving leaves, things like that,” Kauffman said. “Plants are really important … if we didn’t have flowering plants, we wouldn’t have food; we probably wouldn’t be here.”

Kauffman believes her passion for gardening adds an additional perspective to her work.

“I think I react to the plants and the experience of working with them in my garden — (it’s) something that allows me to slow down and be in the moment,” Kauffman said.

“After I was gardening for a while and I’ve been photographing forever I thought, ‘I need to combine these two things and figure out how I can share my love of the garden through my artwork.’ So the show is about that progression.”

The photography varies from moody black and whites to bright and colorful images.

“It’s the color, the vibrancy, that she gets — and the depth. That’s what’s so cool about it,” East Lansing resident Sandy Maxwell said. “It looks like you’re sort of seeing into the picture and there’s such a dimensional aspect to all this stuff. It’s just really, really pretty, and so unusual, too.”

The exhibit organizes the photographs into time periods when they were taken and offers an interesting perspective on Kauffman’s photography career and shows viewers more than just the aesthetic value of the plants.

“Most of the time when I show my work I show what’s current,” Kauffman said. “It was really interesting for me to go through the old work and see, remind myself, how it tied together and the steps I took along the way.”

Gladys Beckwith, the president of the Michigan Women’s Studies Association, is actively involved with the museum and said that museum organizers like to showcase female artists and give each exhibit a two- or three-month-long stay at the museum.

The exhibit will continue at the historical center until Jan. 29, 2010, and is open for everyone from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday and 2-4 p.m. on Sunday at a cost of $2.50 for adults and $1 for students.