The Barry Art Museum, located on the campus of Old Dominion University, will host its second changing exhibition, "Orchids: Attraction and Deception," from Feb. 4 through Aug. 1.
The exhibition will present works from 10 contemporary artists and illustrates the visual allure, ecological idiosyncrasy and cultural impact of orchids. "Orchids: Attraction and Deception" was curated and created by the museum staff and a diverse team of ODU students, artists and art historians in collaboration with Darrin Duling, associate director at the Arthur & Phyllis Kaplan Orchid Conservatory, and Lisa Wallace, J. Robert Stiffler Distinguished Professor in Botany.
The artists represented approach the orchid from very different angles, with many works created specifically for this exhibition. The list of artists includes Brendan Baylor, Brett Day Windham, Calista Lyon, David Willis, Debora Moore, Jennifer Angus, Natalja Kent, Paul Stankard, Roxana Azar and Tiffanie Turner. The contemporary works are accompanied by antiquarian illustrations of orchids, on loan from the Oak Spring Garden Foundation's botanical library.
"The work included in this exhibition ranges widely, mirroring its inspiration - one of the largest and most diverse plant groups on the planet," said Charlotte Potter Kasic, interim executive director of the Barry Art Museum, which opened in November 2018. "From pure botanical fascination to climate change, from historical model-making to the history of collecting and colonization, the artists represented approach the orchid from very different angles. The show is designed to provoke you to think deeper about that favorite design magazine staple, that easily overlooked supermarket flower, the orchid."
Timed to coincide with the bloom cycle of many orchids in the Kaplan Conservatory, the exhibition schedule will include public programming in partnership with the conservatory, the Norfolk Botanical Garden and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. "The Cross-Pollination Lectures" are a series of conversations between artists and botanists that will accompany the exhibition on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. These lectures are brought to the public in partnership with ODU's Office of Community Engagement.
The Barry Art Museum is located at the corner of 43rd Street and Hampton Boulevard. For more information and exhibition and programming updates, visit the museum's website.
