NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Exhibiting artists at RHS Botanical Art Show 2018

28/2/2018

These are the names of the exhibiting artists at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2018. This year the show has changed dates and instead of February is now one between 10th and 12th July 2018 - at the RHS London Plant and Art Fair at the RHS Lindley Hall, SW1P 2QW and the RHS Lawrence Hall SW1P 2QD

Tickets are on sale now - I've already got mine!

View of the RHS Botanical Art Show 2017

RHS Botanical Art Show Exhibitors July 2018

There are 44 exhibitors in total which (I think) is a lot more than in previous years. There is going to be some serious competition - there are a number of former Gold Medal Winners (former RHS Gold Medal Winners have GM after their name).

In addition, so far I've counted at least two former winners of Best Painting (Bridget Gillespie in 2017 and Hideo Hirokoshi in 2015) and one artist who has won best exhibit twice (Hye Woo shin in )

I'm listing the exhibiting artists by country of origin to demonstrate the worldwide appeal of this very prestigious exhibition. Nobody else requires exhibitors to produce six high quality artworks on a theme. I highly recommend that those wanting to exhibit with the RHS in future visit the exhibition if they can - and if they can't take a look at my blog posts about previous exhibitions. (see the end of this blog post for more information)

The number per country is as follows:

19 x UK + 1 group
7 x Japan
4 x Korea
2 x Italy
2 x New Zealand
2 x Turkey
1 x Australia
1 x Austria
1 x Brazil
1 x Hong Kong
1 x Thailand
1 x USA

UK (19 artists and 1 group)

Sarah Howard at the 2016 Show with three of her six Horn of Africa Aloes which won her a Gold Medal

Vanda Adamson - exhibited French hedgerow flowers and fruit in 2015 and won a Silver Bedal
Margaret Bickerton - Won a bronze medal in 2016 for Artichokes
Christina Hart-Davies GM - I have one of her paintings hanging in my home! She has three previous Gold Medals for paintings of mosses and lichens plus an RHS Gold Medal and a World Orchid Conference Bronze for paintings of European and Australian Terrestrial orchids
Bridget Gillespie GM (Best painting RHS 2017) - Bridget has been a botanical artist since 1992 Last year she won a Gold for her exhibit Root Vegetables Life Cycle and won the Best Painting in Show award for her beetroot. She has two previous Gold Medals for plums and pears. She's currently featured on the RHS page about this year's show. Bridget teaches botanical art at the Helmsley Walled Garden in Yorkshire
Maureen Hallahan - (Note: I'd ignore the reference to membership of the RHS on the first page. I'm a member of the RHS because I pay my subscription. I suspect she means working towards a place in the exhibition.)
Pam Hargreaves - Note: website seems to be dead
Sarah Howard GM (2017- Sarah was the illustrator for the Flora of Ethiopia & Eritrea 1997-2000. She completed the RBGE Diploma in botanical illustration in 2014. In 2015 she won a a Silver Gilt at BISCOT and in 2016, she won an RHS GM for her Horn of Africa Aloes. (see my interview with her)
Sarah Jane Humphrey - Has a degree in BA(Hons) Scientific and Natural History Illustration and success in translating her paintings in commercial products. Published her fist book age 21 and has a track record of a steady commissions. She's represented by the Wildlife Art Company. She won a Silver Gilt Medal in 2017
Catherine Kellie - Commended at BISCOT for an exhibit of Spring flowers
Michael Lakin - Has been teaching botanical art for over 12 years. Author of a number of "how to" botanical painting books
Christianne Lim - no website
Nicola Macartney - In 2012 Nicola graduated with distinction from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's Diploma in Botanical Illustration
Maggie Niagassas - Graduated from the SBA Diploma in 20108. Awarded an RHS Silver Medal for six watercolours of Streliztia Reginae in 2016.
Janne Richardson - Graduating with a BA Honours Graphic Design in 1980, she specialised in Medical & Scientific Illustration. In 2014 she graduated with Distinction from the RBGE Diploma Course
Surjit Riyait - no website
Laura Silburn GM (2013, 2014) - Laura is a Fellow of the Eden Project Florilegium Society. She won a gold medal Varieties of Hardy Geranium that have received the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2013 and in Oct. 2014 won a Gold Medal and the Best in Show Exhibit for Aristolochia species from botanic gardens in England. Read her interview with me in 2014 which includes a link to her interview in The Plantsman about painting the hardy geraniums which he a Gold Medal in 2013.
Sylvia Sroka - member of the South West Society of Botanical Artists
Fran Thomas - Fran won a Gold Medal and the for best exhibit at BISCOT 2017
Simon Williams - Simon is the Director of the Society of Botanical Artists's Distance Learning Diploma Course
South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA) - formed in 2006 to promote and encourage a high standard in botanical art throughout the South West of England. We had an excellent group exhibit that won a Gold Medal last year. Can SWSBA equal this performance?

Laura Silburn GM with three of her watercolour paintings of Aristolochias of British Botanic Gardens Laura is viewing her two paintings which were purchased by Dr Shirley Sherwood

Americas (2 artists)

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Botanical Art Seminar at RHS Botanical Art Show 2018

14/12/2017

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Those visiting the RHS Botanical Art Show in July 2018 have the option of also attending the first Botanical Art Seminar to be held at the same time as the show.

The Botanical Art Seminar is being organised by the RHS Lindley Library Team.

What follows is an explanation of

how to plan attending the seminar in the context of the RHS Botanical Art Show.
how to book ticket(s)

First the context....

RHS Plant and Art Fair (10-12 July 2018)

From 11–12 July 2018 this London Show will celebrate the beautiful world of botanical art with an exhibition of paintings, illustration and photography from inspiring artists.

The brand new RHS Plant and Art Show 2018 - which now combines both RHS Botanical Art and RHS Botanical Photography - has changed dates. In 2018 it's being held on the following dates:

10th July 2018 (late 5pm - 9pm - no under 16s)
11th July 2018 (11am - 8pm)
12th July 2018 (11am - 6pm)

Tickets are available now via the RHS website - make sure you pick the right show as the link goes to all the RHS London Shows in 2018. The cost is

£5 for members (in advance or on the day) and it's
£8 in advance and £9 on the day at the door for everybody else.

But before you buy a ticket do check out the Botanical Art Seminar below!

I've had my show tickets booked for weeks - and I will be there on all three days so that I can get round everybody properly! (I will not forget in a hurry the year 13 Gold Medals were awarded and I had to try and interview them all for my blog posts about the RHS Botanical Art Shows!)

RHS Botanical Art Seminar (12 July 2017)

The RHS Botanical Art Seminar will explore the history and contemporary practice of Botanical Art - and is is limited to 72 places - and bookings have started!

I asked the RHS for more details this morning, so some of what is included below is not on the website

Key Features of the Seminar

The ticket price of £60 includes:

entrance to the RHS Plant and Art Fair throughout the day.
Sandwich Lunch - served in the Lawrence Hall Refectory at lunchtime
Evening Drinks reception - in the Lindley Library with invited artist demonstrators and exhibitors from the Botanical Art Show.
Tea and coffee - available during the afternoon in the Lawrence Hall Refectory.

The timetable is as follows:

10am - Registration starts
10.30am - Seminar starts
12.15-1.15pm - Lunch
5pm - Seminar finishes
6pm - RHS Plant and Art Fair closes at 6pm
6pm - 7.30pm - Drinks reception in the Lindley Library

Those attending the Seminar are asked to arrive between 10- 10.30am to register for the day and receive their wrist bands. These wrist bands will then allow them (but nobody else) access to ALL of the following:

A series of Talks in the morning - including ‘A History of Botanical Art’ by the RHS Lindley Library Art Curator. Speakers include RHS Art Curator Charlotte Brooks, Botanist Dr James Compton and RHS Gold medal-winning artist Masumi Yamanaka.
A tour of the RHS Lindley Library in the afternoon - which hopefully will include viewing some of the very special art in the RHS collection. NOTE: People need to register in the morning for a library tour in the afternoon. There will be four sessions of up to 18 people each, lasting approx. 30 mins - and no 'drop-in' access to the tours. Every ticket must be pre-booked.
visit the RHS Plant and Art Fair - see the RHS Botanical Art Show - each of the 40+ artists from around the world will be displaying a minimum of six works that will have been assessed by the Picture Panel for RHS Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver and Bronze Medals. A very educational experience for those hoping to submit in future!
View master-class demonstrations by four botanical artists including RHS Gold-medal winners, demonstrating various techniques in watercolour, pen and ink, pencil and painting on vellum. Visitors will be able to speak to the artists as well as watch them work. The artist demonstrations will take place in one of the rooms in the Conference Centre (i.e. not in the Botanical Art Show).

Location of activities: Activities will be held in the Lindley Conference Centre, the Lindley Library and the two Horticultural Halls - the Lawrence Hall and the Lindley Hall. Those with their seminar wristbands will be able to pass through the set of double doors - manned by security - between the entrance to the RHS and the Lindley Library (in Vincent Square) and the Lindley Hall where the Botanical Art Show is held (entrance in Elverton Street).

It's certainly possible to see both the Botanical Art Show and attend the Seminar - but to my mind it's a little bit of a tight squeeze.

However if you want to visit with a view to a future submission to the show and/or are a really serious botanical art fan you might want to think about very seriously about having a BOTANICAL ART BINGE and attend on two days not just one (Botanical Art Show on the 11th and Seminar on the 12th). i.e. most fans typically spend at least 3-4 hours seeing the show and the trade stands (which will include most if not all those offering botanical art courses). It's very easy to spend all day there! I never ever regret going back the next day!

That might bump the price up for those not living in London. However, in my opinion, this is an absolutely unequalled opportunity to see an abundance of top quality world class botanical art by both contemporary botanical artists from all over the world - and past masters.

If artists can fly in from all over the world to exhibit at this show, why not think about the benefit to you of investing some time visiting it for yourself - and getting some education at the same time?

View of the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2017

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Awards at the 20th International Exhibition in New York

11/11/2017

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The awards presented at the 20th International Exhibition of Botanical Art, organised by the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) and the Hortifcultural Society of New York, are listed below.

You can also:

SEE images of all the artwork included in the 20th International on the ASBA website
READ about the stories behind them by clicking on the image of the artwork
VIEW photographs of the artists' presentation of their artwork to their fellow artists on the ASBA Facebook Page

20th International - Awards

The Hort’s Best in Show Award of $500: Mariko Ikeda (Screw Pine)
This continues the series of paintings of the Pandanus utilis that Mariko first displayed at RHS earlier this year when she won a Gold Medal and the Best Exhibit in Show (see my interview with her and also my post about that display) . Mariko paints in watercolour on vellum and also has a wonderful method for displaying her work. She has also visited both Micronesia and Guan to collect fruit to paint. Her painting demonstrates its complex structure and dissections which display the inside and outside of the fruit.

Below is an image of Mariko explaining her painting to the rest of the artists.

ASBA Eleanor Wunderlich Award of $500: Annie Patterson (Cardoon Seedhead) - Annie is an American artist who now lives in France. This particular cardoon comes from her garden and the painting is one of a series which portrays every stage of growth and development.

Helen Gray Garber Award of $500: Monika deVries Gohlke ('Blackcurrant Swirl’ Datura) - This is 24" x 18" fine art print produced using Aquatint copperplate etching and chine colle with hand-colouring for the subtle colours used for the outer surface of the Datura flower petals. It's always a pleasure to see one of Monika's prints. I always think it's such a pity that there are not more botanical artists who are also printmakers.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Award for Print or Drawing of $250: Martha Kemp (Ornamental Gourd 2) This is NOT one of the two original works by top botanical artist Martha Kemp that the jurors selected for the exhibition. Her original graphite drawings - and her home and all her other art - were burned to the ground in the recent fires in Northern California. ASBA has produced two high quality prints to hang in the exhibition from the digital images submitted for the exhibition. (see image below). I cannot imagine what it must be like to not only lose your home but all your art as well (although I do know somebody else that this also happened to). My best wishes to Martha and I'm hoping she got out with a digital archive....

Richmond and Lili Bates Award for Excellence of $300: Linda Medved Lufkin (Sunflower x 2) In recognition of an Artist by a Fellow Artist - I'm not quite sure of the explanation of the story behind the designation of this award. However the story by Linda of how she came to paint a very old sunflower head - and the huge challenge it presented - is fascinating and well worth reading by anybody thinking of attempting doing something similar!

Honourable mentions

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About Esmée Winkel, botanical illustrator at Naturalis

24/10/2017

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Esmée Somers Winkel is a professional scientific illustrator who specialises in botanical illustration. This is the second of my posts about working as a botanical illustrator.

Esmée works as a Scientific illustrator and Botanical artist for the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden and at the Hortus Botanicus, Leiden in the Netherlands.

Her work is world-class and has been recognised in a number of prizes and awards.

This post includes

two videos about her professional work and
a summary of her educational background and training; exhibitions, awards and botanical art classes.

The Art of Botanical Illustration

Her work is explained in this Naturalis Newsroom interview about The Art of Botanical Illustration. It explains her background and education, what she does and shows you her normal working environment.

About Esmée Winkel

Education and training

Esmée has two degrees

Master Scientific Illustration, Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design and Maastricht University
Biology BSc, Leiden University

Following her biology studies, she was introduced to botanical illustration by Anita Walsmit Sachs, who was head of the Art department and scientific illustrator at the Nationaal Herbarium Nederland prior to her retirement. Subsequently, Esmée learned about scientific illustration in depth during her Masters Degree course at Maastricht. She also credits the influence of Jan van Os, who was a full-time illustrator, National Herbarium the Netherlands until his retirement in 2003 and was also awarded the Jill Smythies Award

Awards and Prizes

In terms of awards she has excelled! For her scientific botanical illustrations in pen and ink, she has been awarded:

2017: second prize in the Margaret Flockton Award
2016: the Botanical Illustrator Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Art from the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA)
2016: a second RHS Gold Medal for her display of drawings of rare and endangered orchids in 2016 (see Interviews with RHS Botanical Art Gold Medallists - from the UK and Europe - and video below)
2014: the Jill Smythies Award for excellence in botanical illustration by the Linnean Society
2013: an RHS Gold Medal in 2013 for a set of meticulous and well-designed pen and ink drawings of Leguminosae (see Interviews with RHS Botanical Art Gold Medal Winners)
2012 - a BISCOT Gold Medal in 2012

My interviews with her for the RHS Gold Medals (links above) include descriptions of how she works and her tips for scientific botanical illustration in pen and ink
(You can DOWNLOAD my Notes on using the Røtring Pen © botanical illustrator Esmée Winkel GM (March 2016) document from the pen and ink page on this website)

Esmée Winkel with two of her pen and ink illustrations from her Gold Medal winning display at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2016

Membership

She is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Dutch Society of Botanical Artists and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.

Exhibitions

Esmée started exhibiting in 2009 and, since then, has exhibited multiple times each year.

Earlier this year her work was exhibited internationally in a wide variety of contexts and venues - as follows:

'Focus on Nature XIV', Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI), USA (Download FON XIV Catalog (PDF 8.6 MB))
Botanische Kunst - Fruit in Beeld, members exhibition Dutch Society of Botanical Artists, Fruitteeltmuseum Kapelle, the Netherlands. (1 April 2017 - 24 February 2018)
'The Beauty of Botanical Drawing at Esmée Winkel' with the Art and Heritage Commision Maastricht University, the Netherlands
the 19th International Botanical Congress and Botanical art exhibition, Shenzhen, China
'Tradescant's Orchard Exhibition' at the Garden Museum, London

In future, you can see her work in the Out of the Woods: Celebrating Trees in Public Gardens exhibition - The Third New York Botanical Garden Triennial.

Esmee Winkel with Diospyros lotus, a date-plum tree at the Tradescant's Orchard Exhibition at the Garden Museum

I should also mention that Esmée also has a truly admirable wardrobe of 'botanical jackets' which will be appreciated by all those who also endeavour to 'dress for the exhibition'!

Collections

Her work is included in the permanent collections of

Naturalis Biodiversity Center,
Hortus botanicus Leiden,
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation,
Focus on Nature New York State Museum,
the RHS Lindley Library and in
private (Royal) collections. "

More about Esmée Winkel

You can read more about Esmée on her website http://www.esmeewinkel.nl where you can see a portfolio of some of her works (please do NOT copy or pin).

You can also see her work in the video below about Orchideeen in de Hortus botanicus Leiden (Orchids in the Botanical Garden at Leiden) - where she also teaches botanical illustration - see below.

Botanical illustration classes with Esmée Winkel

Esmée teaches Classes in Botanical Illustration at the Hortus Botanicus Leiden. Upcoming classes (10.30-15.00 h) include:

Saturday 4 November: Seeds, working with a binocular
Saturday 9 December: Tropical plant families / characteristics
Saturday 27 January: Rice and other grasses
Saturday 24 February: Tropical fruit
Saturday 17 March: Onions and other bulbs
Saturday 25 June: Flowers and pollination

More about becoming a botanical illustrator

This is the second post about people working as professional botanical illustrators.

See also How to become a botanical illustrator (March 2017) which includes a 5 minute video created to illustrate a career in botanical illustration featuring botanical illustrator Catherine Wardrop, one of two botanical illustrators employed by the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney.

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Society of Botanical Art 2017 - Certificates of Botanical Merit

14/10/2017

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This is about the artists awarded Certificates of Botanical Merit and is the second of three posts about the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists in London. This one

follows on from yesterday's post about the artists who received awards; and
precedes my review of the exhibition.

Below are the names of the artists and an image of the work which received the award.

The Awards Ceremony at the Private View. President Sandra Armitage presiding and Jekka McVicar presenting awards and certificates.

About the Certificates of Botanical Merit

The annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists is not a "strictly botanical" show in the same way that the RHS botanical art shows are. This is because the SBA's founder Suzanne Lucas MBE FLS HPRMS PPRMS FPSBA HonSWA HSF BMS (1915-2008) believed very strongly that the portrayal of plants need not always be highly scientific and illustrative.

“To incorporate more recent techniques and styles in a broader interpretation; combining the scientific and representational, giving a rich and varied view of the wonderful world of plants.”

Consequently the SBA created the award of a Certificate of Botanical Merit in order to:

highlight the importance of drawings and paintings which are created in a botanical style - including some which observe the very precise niceties of scientific botanical illustration
for those botanical artworks in the exhibition which are particularly noteworthy in this respect.

To my way of thinking, the CBMs are a nod in the direction of those artists who might well be expected to go on and achieve a medal at the RHS Shows. I've known very many members of the SBA who have been more a lot more impressed by getting a CBM than getting another sort of award!

The Judge

The work is always judged by a professional who is independent of the SBA.

The expert judge was Lucy T. Smith GM BVA MVA who also judged the artwork in last year's exhibition. Lucy is an experienced and award-winning professional botanical illustrator who produces botanical illustrations for publication by the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew. She won the Margaret Flockton Award in 2014 and 2017 (see Second Margaret Flockton Award win for Lucy T. Smith) and the Jill Smythies Award for Botanical Illustration, awarded by the Linnean Society of London in 2004 . Her work has been published in numerous scientific publications. She also works as a botanical art tutor at Kew (including the Certificate of Botanical Illustration at Kew) and the Chelsea School of Botanical Art.

When judging the artwork for CBMs, Lucy awarded these on the basis of images which fulfilled the brief of describing the plant accurately and well rather than according to a strict botanical illustration brief.

A new Award - for the premier CBM

"Prunus domestica 'Victoria' " (£1,700) by Shevaun Doherty SBA (watercolour on vellum)

A NEW award has been created for the premier winning work of the CBMs.

The award was highlighted in yesterday's blog post and was won by Shevaun Doherty for her Prunus domestica 'Victoria' - a watercolour painting on vellum. Shevaun is the tutor for painting on vellum for the SBA's Distance Learning Diploma Course.

The CBMs in 2017

The artworks and their artists receiving CBMs in 2017 are listed below - followed by images of their work. The artworks also list the media and the price of the work in the image caption.

The name of the work is listed first followed by an alphabetical listing by surname of the artist - with a link to their website embedded in their name if they have one.

Prunus domestica 'Victoria' Shevaun Doherty SBA DipSBA(Dist.)
Pinus halepensis by Giovanni Cera Assoc.SBA (Italy)
Daisy Meadow by Timothy Draper BSc Assoc.SBA - image to follow
Flowered Teasel by Sharon Fox BA Hons. (Scotland)
Turning Leaves by Christiana Hale Webb
Vessels of Life by Jackie Isard BA(Hons)
Allium sphaerocephalon by Bridgette James SBA SGL
Begonia Leaves by Carmen Lyons DipFA AssocSBA
Sponge Gourd by Su Jin Park (Korea?)
Rosa cenina - Dog Rose by Roger Reynolds GM BSc CertEd SBA
Changing Seasons - Fraximus excelsior by Pauleen Trim AssocSBA HS

Now for the images of the artwork which merited a CBM.....

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Awards - Society of Botanical Artists' Annual Exhibition 2017

13/10/2017

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This post is the first of three about the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists:

today's post is about the botanical artists receiving awards at "Changing Seasons" the 2017 Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists. It includes images of the artwork receiving awards and more information about the artists (links to their websites are embedded in their names).
tomorrow's post is about those awarded a Certificate of Botanical Merit
finally, Sunday's post will be a review of the exhibition as a whole and a commentary on its development over the last decade that I have been writing reviews of this exhibition.

The show is on at the Central Hall Westminster in London (opposite Westminster Abbey) until 21 October. The exhibition opens to the public TODAY and is then open every day from 11am to 5pm. Admission is free.

Society Awards

The Joyce Cuming Presentation Award

This is probably one of the most prized awards and is a sterling silver Almoner’s plate which is a legacy from Joyce Cuming. The winner also receives a certificate.

Winner of The Joyce Cuming Presentation Award - "Allium christophii" (£500) by Bridgette James watercolour

This year the prize is awarded to Bridgette James SBA SGL for her Allium christophii which is very impressive. She has been a professional artist since 1987 and a member of The Society of Botanical Artists for more than 20 years. In February this year she exhibited her suite of Allium paintings at the RHS and was awarded a Silver Gilt Medal.
Judges also produce a list of people who were Highly Commended during the selection process.

Those identified as highly commended for this award in 2017 are:

Shevaun Doherty SBA for "Prunus domestica 'Victoria' "
Sandra Doyle for "The 4,000 year old Cypress of Abaruh, Sarv-e Abarkuh, Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis"
Penny Gould SBA for "Euphorbia amygaloides 'Purpurea' "
Christiana Hale Webb for "Turning Leaves" (Her painting ‘Winter Oak Leaves’ is held in the RHS Lindley Library art collections.)
Yumi Henderson "Fuschia 'Irene Stinton' "
Svetlana Lanse "Capiscum annuum"
Roger Reynolds GM SBA "Quercus robur Pendulate Oak"
Julie Whelan SBA "Couroupita guianensis - Cannonball Tree"

Images of their artwork can be seen below. Shevaun Doherty's painting appears further down as it won another Award.

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Florilegium Exhibition win Heritage Award

17/6/2017

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Presentation of the National Heritage Award 2017 for Events and Publications to ""Florilegium: Sydney’s painted garden"

The National Trust Heritage Award for Events and Publications in 2017 went to historian Colleen Morris and The Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for Florilegium: Sydney’s Painted Garden held at the Museum of Sydney in 2016.

“Florilegium: Sydney’s painted garden” was hosted at the Museum of Sydney from 30 July to 30 October 2016.
It showcased 87 contemporary artworks by more than 60 international and Australian artists.
The exhibition was part of the 200th birthday celebrations of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in partnership with The Florilegium Society and supported by the Royal Botanic Garden and Domain Trust.
The exhibition illustrated the diversity and significance of plants grown by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah, and the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah, and demonstrated the botanical and horticultural development of the first botanic garden in Australia and its links with domestic gardens and the public landscapes of NSW from 1816-2016.

“The work of historian Colleen Morris is world class. Painted Garden was a complete triumph in terms of the contemporary botanical artworks it collected and then donated to our permanent collection. The other exciting aspect is that we are now working to put on a significant exhibition of a similar nature at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in 2018.”
Director, Science and Conservation Dr. Brett Summerell

A post visit survey conducted at the Museum of Sydney demonstrated that “Florilegium: Sydney’s painted garden” was highly regarded by visitors.

93% of respondents felt the exhibition met or exceeded expectations
85% of respondents found the stories of plants, people and gardens highly engaging
91% of respondents highly rated the ambience of the space

To my mind, the page devoted to the award provides a benchmark of good practice for all botanical art exhibitions of this type in terms of criteria for assessing content and value.

Those in the UK will be able to see for themselves when the exhibition comes to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Kew Gardens in 2018.

Webpage for the Award

About the project teams

Worked on the project:
SLM Exhibition Project Team –

Curator: Colleen Morris (Florilegium Society);
Project Manager Bob Whight;
Project Officer Amelia Lindsay;
3D Designer Keira McDonald;
Graphic Designer Bruce Smythe;
Registrar Bronwyn McKenzie;
Editor Rhiain Hull;
Film Producer Mason Dean;
Marketing coordinator Ron Cuadra;
Publicity coordinator Hayley Gallant.

Florilegium Society Publication Project Team

Project Manager Beverly Allen;
Historical text Colleen Morris;
Botanical text Louisa Murray (Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney);
Editor Marie-Louise Taylor (contractor);
Designer Stan Lamond (contractor) .

Cover of the associated Publication

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About the National Heritage Awards

The National Trust Heritage Awards are the signature event of the Australian Heritage Festival and are now in their 23rd year of recognising heritage projects.

To view all the finalists and award recipients please visit the 2017 winner page here.

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