Botanical Art Week in NYC Under Way

Posted in Exhibitions on September 14 2010, by Plant Talk

Sutton Exhibition at Garden and two Other Shows Launch Concept

Robin A. Jess is Executive Director of the American Society of Botanical Artists, which has its national office at The New York Botanical Garden. She has had a long relationship with the Garden as a freelance botanical illustrator and as the first coordinator of the Botanical Art Certificate program.

It occurred to me earlier this summer that the opening of three major exhibitions of contemporary botanical art in New York City during the same week (September 13–17) would be cause for celebration. I thought that by combining the star power of the three and declaring “Botanical Art Week in NYC,” we could draw more attention to these exciting exhibitions. The hosts of the three exhibitions—Jeff Downing, Vice President for Education at the Botanical Garden, Chris Murtha at the Horticultural Society of New York (HSNY), and Francesca Anderson of Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG)—all agreed that it was a great idea. And so, Botanical Art Week was born.

This fall in New York offers an in-depth immersion in beautiful art that accurately portrays the world of flora. You’ll find works in these shows by noted contemporary botanical artists such as Jean Emmons, Derek Norman, Lizzie Sanders, and Jessica Tcherepnine. You’ll also find the work of talented artists who trained or who teach in NYBG’s Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate Program. Get inspired by viewing the work and then take a course at the Garden to begin your own creative journey.

An opening reception for the exhibition Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art, The Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection will be held on Thursday, September 16, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery at the Botanical Garden (RSVP to 718.817.8598). Since his first acquisition in 1998, Brooklyn’s Isaac Sutton has continued to acquire or commission works, amassing the largest privately owned collection of contemporary botanical art in North America. Working with Curators Susan Frei Nathan and Alice Marcus Kreig, Sutton selected the pieces shown for their ability to raise awareness of our environment.

From the tiny seeds of dandelion by Susan Ogilvy to more showy delights like Carol Woodin’s flashy Vanda orchid (pictured, Vanda ‘Pat’s Delight’, 2002, watercolor on vellum stretched over board) and an epic painting of striped bamboo by Beverly Allen, Sutton’s treasures encompass an amazing range of styles, media, and subject matter. Luminous works on vellum such as the delicate Blackberry and Black-eyed Susan by American master Kate Nessler are juxtaposed with exuberant paintings such as The Sutton Dogwood by world-renowned Katie Lee, a popular instructor at NYBG. The image (pictured � 2001 Katie Lee, gouache on paper), graces the cover of the exhibition catalog. In addition to being a world-class painter, Carol Woodin is exhibitions coordinator for ASBA and often shares her painting techniques and knowledge of painting on vellum with her students at NYBG. The Sutton exhibition will run through January 9, 2011.

The 13th Annual International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition of the Horticultural Society of New York (HSNY) and the ASBA opens on Wednesday, September 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. at HSNY in midtown. This competitive exhibition, which runs through November 24, drew submissions from some of ASBA’s nearly 1,200 members from around the world. With stunning pieces like Milly Acharya’s Apple Blossoms and Fruit and NYBG instructor Karen Kluglein’s elegant Franklinia alatamaha, this show offers exquisite opportunities to develop your own collection of contemporary botanical art.

Portraits of a Garden V opens at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Tuesday, September 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and runs through November 28. Representing the current acquisitions to the BBG Florilegium, all were created by a select group of artists, including brilliant works by Rose Pellicano, an instructor at NYBG’s new Manhattan location, Monika deVries Gohlke, Dianne McElwain, and Angela Mirro.

For more information on Botanical Art Week, please visit the ASBA Web site.