Art, flowers paired together in museum’s biennial exhibition

Maeve Bauer, Contributing Writer

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts held the exhibition, “Fine Arts & Flowers,” from Oct. 23 through Oct. 27, which paired floral arrangements with permanent pieces in the museum. 

The Council of the VMFA, a group of year-round volunteers, has hosted the exhibition biennially since 1987, according to the VMFA’s website. The council planned the exhibition for “Fine Arts & Flowers” and its events. 

“Fine Arts & Flowers” kicked off with a gala on Oct. 23 where guests had a chance to preview over 70 floral interpretations, according to the VMFA’s website.

The exhibition is a free event, however, there were a plethora of ticketed events — including a gala, guest speakers, book signings, guided tours, workshops, luncheons, a fashion show and a gallery hunt. The full list can be viewed here. 

MaryMoss Walker, the vice president of the council of the VMFA, said the money from ticket sales will be going to the museum’s future expansion plan. She said the events add a level of excitement to the exhibition. 

Members of the Council have a year-round job for the museum, according to Walker. They put on “Fine Arts & Flowers” every two or three years, which helps to bring people from all over the state.

The Council works in tandem with designers and garden clubs from all over the state, according to Walker. The designers were given a list of 120 works of art from the VMFA to decide from by ranking their choices in the spring.

The designers hail from different Garden Clubs in Virginia, according to Walker.

“The floral exhibitors are from Ikebana of Richmond, The Garden Club of Virginia and the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs,” Walker said.

On Oct. 23, the exhibitors came in at 9 a.m. and by 2 p.m., all 75 designs were completed and placed next to the designer’s chosen artwork, according to Walker. 

Cheryl Ragsdale, a museum docent, said the speakers for the exhibition on Oct. 24 were Ingrid Carozzi, owner of Tin Can Studios in New York; Robbie Honey, a Zimbabwean floral designer with offices in London, according to Ragsdale. On Oct. 25 the speaker was Canaan Marshall, a florist from Atlanta, who was featured on the HBO Max show “Full Bloom.”

“They are world-renowned in the area of floral design,” Ragsdale said.

The lecture speakers collectively agreed on their three favorite pieces in the exhibition. They were “Untitled” by Sam Gilliam, “Pilgrim Flask with Landscape Decoration” and “Coffin of Hor,” according to Ragsdale. 

Ragsdale’s favorite piece is “Black and White Spaniel Following a Scent,” she said.

Ragsdale volunteers for the council, giving guided tours year-round. She feels like the tour allows guests to analyze art and have discussions. 

“Oftentimes it is very beneficial to our guests to have a tour guide facilitate the discussion, to attract their eyes to the features both the artists wanted to show and that the floral designer wanted to show,” Ragsdale said.  

She feels like all walks of life flock to “Fine Arts & Flowers” and that the guests connect to the exhibitions, Ragsdale said.

“The guests are very engaged with both the works of art and the floral designs that interpret those works of art,” Ragsdale said. 

Avina Kei, an attendee at the exhibition, said she shares a deep appreciation for the interpretations, particularly a jewel piece titled “Bird.”

“I just loved how they nailed the shape of a bird, and the florist was so thoughtful because they also added similar jewels into the body of the piece,” she said.

Her main takeaway from the exhibition was that art can be interpreted a million times over, Kei said.