Our upcoming November exhibit features the work of 23 artists from The Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region. The exhibit titled Nature’s Pharmacy: Plants that Heal features a variety of media emphasizing plants that have historic medicinal purposes.
Nature’s Pharmacy: Plants that Heal
The Botanical Art Society of the National Capital RegionNovember 1 – December 13
The Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region is a
chapter of the American Society of Botanical Artists with over 100
members in Virginia. BASNCR promotes an appreciation of botanical art
and supports educational activities focusing on botanical awareness.
Their exhibits showcase the beauty of nature, as well as the science of
botanical art while utilizing a variety of media such as watercolor,
graphite, and colored pencil. Nature’s Pharmacy fuses this passion for science and the beauty of nature by emphasizing plants with historic medicinal purposes.
Meet the artists at the reception, November 11, 2-4 pm.
Anne Clippinger
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
colored pencil
Used to treat the common cold and other upper respiratory infections
17” x 20”
$400.
Margaret Farr
Virginia Woodland Plants II: Wintergreen (Gautheria procumbens)
watercolor
Used in the treatment of arthritis and other joint & muscle pain
20” x 24”
$675.
History of the Organization:
In 2004, botanical artists in the national capital area came together to form the Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region (BASNCR). The organization has grown to about 100 members, primarily from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The mission of the organization includes:
- Promote an appreciation of botanical art
- Provide and support educational activities that create botanical awareness
- Encourage knowledge about the preservation of native plants and plant diversity
- Provide creative opportunities for social interactions between artists and botanists
- Offer programming that showcases botanical art and the science of botanical art
- Provide opportunities to exhibit and publicize member art
- Participate with other botanical and art organizations in providing a variety of botanical art experiences for the general public
Each year, the artists of BASNCR hold at least one juried exhibit at different venues in the region to promote awareness of botanical art as a living art form. Each exhibit includes from 30 to 60 artworks, depending on the size of the exhibit location. BASNCR artists work in a variety of media including the traditional watercolor on paper, as well as ink, graphite, gouache, colored pencil, oil, and silverpoint. At each exhibit, BASNCR artists provide supplementary programs such as lectures, demonstrations, and children’s workshops.
BASNCR has designed recent exhibits to stimulate public interest in historic gardens, native plants and the natural environment, and heritage plants. Venues have included the Strathmore Mansion, the Athenaeum Gallery of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association; Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Regional Park; and the American Horticultural Society’s headquarters, River Farm.
Individual BASNCR artists participate in regional, national, and international juried exhibitions. Some individual artists or groups of artists hold their own shows.
BASNCR is incorporated as a non-profit in Maryland, and is a chapter of the American Society of Botanical Artists. Further information about BASNCR, and examples of members’ work are available on the organization’s website www.basncr.org.