Horticulturalist Robbie Honey and Floral Designers Ingrid Carozzi and Canaan Marshall Headline Benefit Event for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond, VA — The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) announces the return of Fine Arts & Flowers, a biennial museum-wide exhibit that pairs original interpretive floral arrangements with works from the museum’s permanent collection, Wednesday, Oct. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Admission to the galleries where floral designs are on display is free. Tickets for the Fine Arts & Flowers gala, lectures and other special events that will accompany the exhibition go on sale on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Presented by The Council of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, VMFA’s first volunteer group, Fine Arts & Flowers 2024 will feature a spectacular museum-wide exhibition of more than 70 art-inspired floral arrangements by members of the Garden Club of Virginia, Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs and Ikebana of Richmond.
Honorary co-chairs are Elizabeth Locke and Pamela Kiecker Royall, and Alexandria McGrath and Birch Douglass serve as co-chairs of the Fine Arts & Flowers 2024 exhibition. Strange’s Florists, Greenhouses and Garden Centers LLC is the official supplier of flowers and plant materials, as they have been since 1987. The presenting sponsor is Elizabeth Locke Jewels.
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Fine Arts & Flowers will kick off with a dazzling gala and a preview of the exquisite floral installations.
A wide range of exciting special events will take place throughout the exhibition, from floral designer presentations and luncheons to guided tours, floral workshops, curator talks, fashion shows and family activities. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the four-day Fine Arts & Flowers exhibition.
The distinguished speakers for Fine Arts & Flowers 2024 are Ingrid Carozzi, Robbie Honey and Canaan Marshall.
As a leader in sustainable floral design, Ingrid Carozzi teaches workshops and master classes at FlowerSchool in New York. She owns Tin Can Studios, specializing in floral designs for weddings and corporate events, and has been named “Best Florist” by New York Magazine. Recently, she collaborated with TIME magazine on their announcement gala for the 2023 Person of the Year, Taylor Swift. Carozzi’s latest book is Flowers by Design: Creating Arrangements for Your Space. Carozzi’s talk will be held Thursday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m., and she will sign copies of her book at 1:30 p.m. that afternoon.
Born in Zimbabwe, Robbie Honey grew up roaming the countryside and developing a love of flowers. At age 25, he opened a London business where he worked with high fashion clients including Hermès, Dior, Valentino, Armani and Lancôme. As an international horticulturist, Honey is concerned about worldwide threats to native plant habitats. His first publication, The Accidental Botanist: The Structure of Plants Revealed, has garnered a worldwide audience. Honey’s talk is also scheduled on Oct. 24, at 2 p.m., and will be followed by his book signing at 3:30 p.m.
Known as “The Flower Whisperer,” Canaan Marshall has demonstrated a knack for all things growing and green since childhood. An animated, joyful floral designer from Atlanta, Georgia, his skills include large-scale event arrangements, with two featured in Flower magazine’s 2023 “Best Flower Arrangements” lists. Marshall will speak at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 25.
Proceeds from Fine Arts & Flowers sponsorships and ticket sales will support the ongoing research, development and installation of VMFA’s world class exhibitions. For details and to purchase tickets to Fine Arts & Flowers events, visit www.VMFA.museum/FAF.
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About The Council of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Council of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a group of dedicated VMFA members who volunteer throughout the museum and work on behalf of VMFA to enhance community outreach and participation. The Council has served VMFA since 1955 and led the way on projects such as opening the VMFA Shop, establishing the tour guide program, organizing museum travel and providing seed money for the Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library. The Council organized the first Fine Arts & Flowers exhibition in 1987, which has since become a biennial event.
About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences, and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass nearly 50,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, and French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British sporting and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing I after a transformative expansion, previously the largest in its history. A new expansion, the McGlothlin Wing II, is planned to open in 2028. Comprising more than 170,000 square feet, it will be the largest expansion in the museum’s history and will make VMFA the fifth largest art museum in the United States.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. For additional information, telephone (804) 340-1400 or visit www.VMFA.museum.
Media Contacts
Jan Hatchette | (804) 204-2721 | jan.hatchette@vmfa.museum
Amy Peck | (804) 773-1791 | amy.peck@vmfa.museum
MacLaine Bamberger | (804) 204-2717 | maclaine.bamberger@vmfa.museum
200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA 23220