June – September 2000
Ah! May the red rose live alway,
To smile upon earth and sky!
Stephen Foster (1826—1864)
Flowers serve as emblems in our culture. They help us celebrate and they help us mourn. They please us aesthetically and they heal us physically. They signify sporting events such as the Rose Bowl and they adorn the winners of horse races. From the formal garden and the decorations on fine china to the floral design on a common tissue box, flower imagery is omnipresent. This exhibition examines the role of flowers in our lives both historically and from a contemporary perspective.
A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose
Gertrude Stein (1874—1946)
This exhibition was prepared by , with assistance from Rijn Templeton, Kathy Wachel, David Schoonover, Carlette Washington-Hoagland, Cynthea Mosier and Dean Koster.