“Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora” & “Flora, Fauna, Font: Illustrating the Alphabet”
June 8 – August 25, 2019
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum – Wausau, WI
Spotlighting the ephemeral beauty and variety of plant life, two botanical art exhibitions open on Saturday, June 8.
“Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora” highlights U.S. indigenous plants – from cacti and trees to woodland flowers – with a goal to increase appreciation and understanding of the world’s plant diversity and its interconnectedness. An array of North American flora, both familiar and rare, is meticulously depicted in watercolor and other mediums. Curated by the American Society of Botanical Artists and the United States Botanic Garden, the exhibition is part of a worldwide project emphasizing the importance of conserving botanical diversity and linking people with plants via botanical art.
From saguaro cactus of the Southwest, big-leaf maple of the West Coast, and bloodroot spanning the Midwest to bottlebrush buckeye of the Eastern Seaboard, this exhibition features artworks of America’s native plants. Familiar plants such as sunflowers and violets and rare species such as lady’s slipper orchids are highlighted in watercolors and other mediums. Curated by the American Society of Botanical Artists and the United States Botanic Garden, Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora is part of a worldwide project in which national exhibitions are simultaneously on view at cultural institutions in twenty-five countries on six continents. Each exhibition features contemporary artwork of native plants by resident artists via a coordinated, international effort to increase appreciation of the world’s plant diversity and to link people with plants via botanical art.
“Flora, Fauna, Font: Illustrating the Alphabet,” features Kandis Vermeer Phillips’ illuminated alphabet adorned with plants, mammals, and insects. Phillips integrated extensive research into the history of medieval illuminated manuscripts – embellished with luminous colors – into an alphabet primer for her granddaughter. She combined decorative letters with representations of flowers and creatures found in her garden and during family travels. This exhibition was organized by the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Kandis Vermeer Phillips’ illuminated alphabet showcases A to Z intertwined with plants, mammals, and insects. Phillips integrated extensive research into the history of and the natural materials used in medieval illuminated manuscripts into an alphabet primer for her granddaughter, combining decorative letters with representations of flowers and creatures found in her garden or during family travels. This exhibition was organized by the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Both exhibitions remain on view at the Woodson Art Museum through August 25.
