Fine Arts & Flowers at the VMFA

Flowers like you’ve never seen will be in their full glory at Fine Arts & Flowers at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Oct. 23–27. 

“It’s a museum-wide exhibit that pairs original interpretive floral arrangements with works from the museum’s permanent collection,” explains exhibition co-chair Alexandria McGrath, who adds that the event will include more than 70 art-inspired floral arrangements on display, all created by members of the Garden Club of Virginia, Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, and Ikebana of Richmond.

“Fine Arts & Flowers is a fascinating intersection of art and floral design, two modes of artistic invention that hinge on the perspective of the maker—and that’s what keeps it interesting,” says Dr. Susie Rawles, American painting and decorative art associate curator at VMFA. Rawles is also a past president of the James River Garden Club, and her roles give her unique insight. “Sometimes the floral displays are nearly literal translations of the work of art, the blooms and other materials operating like signposts, mapping the viewer’s visual experience. And sometimes they are complete abstractions, where you are forced to look back at the work of art and ask: what did I miss?!”

Interpreting Through Flowers 

Anne Thompson, a Richmond-based artist and veteran Fine Arts & Flowers exhibitor, says that while the process for participants is straightforward, it can also be nerve-racking. “As exhibitors, we’re given a list of works of art in the museum’s collection that are available to participants,” she explains. “But signing up is a whole different story.” 

At Thompson’s first rodeo as an arranger, she and her team studied the list of art the museum had made available and prioritized their own wish list. “But as soon as the list goes live, you have to be at the ready to sign up for the piece you want,” she says. A little slow on the draw, her team didn’t get their top choice. Or their tenth. But they were thrilled with the Robert Henri they were assigned. “We all just loved ‘Her Sunday Shawl,’” Thompson says, who added that researching the artist, the period in which he painted, and his contemporaries informed their ultimate design.

For 2018’s event, Thompson joined Lisa Kunz and Catherine Bugg, and a speedy response was rewarded with their top choice: Gilbert Stuart’s “Portrait of Rebecca White Pickering (Mrs. Timothy Pickering),” a woman of some station from early 19th-century Massachusetts (her husband was the third secretary of state). “Her costume reflected a certain degree of exoticism,” says Kunz, “but it’s tempered by her expression that suggests New England restraint. We thought our design should reflect a taut balance of symmetrical neoclassicism and design elements that evoke graceful encircling movements evident in Stuart’s treatment of her robe, turban, and pearls.” 

The trio—all members of the James River Garden Club—selected plant material that suggested fine textiles: Queen Anne’s lace, lady slipper orchids, red fountain grass, and ‘Café au Lait’ dahlias for their arrangement, along with sarracenia and lomelosia, which both reflected the pattern of the ermine trim on Mrs. Pickering’s shawl. They chose an antique Nepalese rice container in which to display their arrangement, its timeworn red paint alluding to the frescoes of Herculaneum and Pompeii. “It all came together beautifully,” Kunz says, adding they knew they hit the jackpot when both keynote speakers enthusiastically endorsed their choices. “They actually jumped up and down!” recalls Kunz.

The Big Day 

VMFA is electric the day teams descend on the workrooms to begin creating their arrangements. There are strict rules—no foraged or homegrown plant material is allowed, lest something nefarious like molds or pests be transmitted inside the building and find their way onto the gallery floors, potentially damaging the museum’s collection. For nearly four decades, Strange’s has been the exclusive supplier of flowers and plant material for Fine Arts & Flowers, and they carefully control what they source and the plant material being used. Exhibitors can requests specific flowers, but they may not correspond to what’s available. 

“It’s such a fun and imaginative way to revisit the art and experience the museum,” says Susie Rawles. “I hope people will take advantage of it.”

Check out more events here! And here!

This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue.