Flora: A Celebration of Flowers in Contemporary Art

March 15 - June 22, 2014

Click here to view a slideshow of images from the exhibit.

“Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock.”

— Henry Ward Beecher
Star Papers, A Discourse of Flowers

It’s spring and BMAC is bursting into bloom! Filling four of the museum’s six galleries, Flora explores our physical and metaphorical relationship with flowers.

Flowers have been seen for millennia as spiritual and emotional touchstones. In spring they are a sign of renewal. In a bouquet they may have a host of meanings, including love, remembrance, or condolence. Lovely to see and smell, flowers exert tremendous physical, psychological, and symbolic power over us.

Flora: A Celebration of Flowers in Contemporary Art examines the influence of flowers on visual artists. Like their living models, the artworks on view offer us objects of beauty and contemplation. Artists include Bobbi Angell, Marta Bernbaum, Amber Cowan, Floyd Elzinga, Tom Fels, Janet Fish, Richard Jacobs, Robert Kushner, Tanya Marcuse, Nan Montgomery, Anne Morgan Spalter, Christina Stahr, and Jimmy Wright, among others.

Related Events

March 15 — Members’ Opening Reception & Champagne Brunch
April 10 — Artist Talk: Anne Morgan Spalter
April 17 — Artist Talk: Tom Fels
April 24 — Orchid Care Workshop
April 26 — Spring Wildflower Walk
April 27 — Curator Tour with Mara Williams
May 1 — Lecture: Vermont Bumblebee Survey
May 3 — Botanical Illustration Workshop
June 7 — Hidden in the Hills: North Hill Garden