MAY 6 – JUNE 26, 2016
Main Gallery
From clichéd and mundane floral decoration to images that capture moments of ephemeral beauty, flowers are laden with symbolic and cultural significance. Leaves, fruit, flowers, and vines are found on ceramic vessels on every continent across the millennia. They symbolize love, reproduction, and death—the essentials of life. Florilegium explored floral imagery in contemporary ceramics through the work of artists who use flowers both decoratively and conceptually. Curated by Ursula Hargens, the exhibition included artists Joan Bruneau, Guy Michael Davis and Katie Parker, Rain Harris, Rebecca Hutchinson, Jae Won Lee, Kate Maury, and Julie Moon.
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Rebecca Hutchinson was in residence from April 28 – May 1, working on a new, site-specific installation.
Joan Bruneau joined us for a daylong demonstration of her techniques and an artist talk. This event was free and open to the public.
Kathy Allen gave a presentation, followed by a one-hour, tile-decorating workshop, utilizing the maiolica process. Allen discussed the definition and history of florilegia and brought two volumes of The Highgrove Florilegium, a tome from 2008–09, depicting plants from Prince Charles’ garden at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. These large-scale books feature prints from the best botanical painters in the world.
Kathy Allen is director of the Andersen Horticultural Library (AHL), located at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. She has held positions as Plant Sciences Librarian at the University of Minnesota; agriculture librarian in Malawi, Africa; and library consultant in Washington, D.C. Kathy is an active member and past president of the Council on Botanical & Horticultural Libraries.