Cultivating History: Food, Crops, and Art reveals the untold stories of many everyday crops. Spanning over 200 years of botanical art and illustration, Cultivating History reflects the cross-cultural histories of various plants that have contributed to the arts and sciences as well as human history and progress. This educational exhibition includes 13 beautifully illustrated images of plants, 2 text panels, and 2 maps that explain the global trade of plants before, during, and after European exploration and colonization of the New World. The histories of sunflowers, maize, tobacco, pineapples, peaches, and apples are related to the important social and economic issues in Virginia and the world. More broadly, this exhibition underscores how the process of sharing, conserving, and documenting plants has continued to shape our human understanding of the natural world.
As all of our educational exhibitions do, Cultivating History provides a visual reference for starting important conversations that relate to Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) for grades 4 through 12.
A printed exhibition guide along with an activity packet assists teachers in lesson planning and explaining.
This educational exhibition was created and produced by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation from handsomely reproduced images of original works held in the Oak Spring Library. The mission of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation is to perpetuate and share the gifts of the late Rachel (“Bunny”) Lambert Mellon on whose estate it is located and which is open to the public.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Education Division congratulates the OSGF for their wonderful work with this exhibition and greatly thanks them for their kind long term loan for VMFA to send around the state of Virginia.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has a variety of exhibitions available for statewide travel. This exhibition is supported by the Paul Mellon Fund.
LIMITED Security
Suggested Loan Period: 4 to 6 Weeks
Fee: Free
Code Number: GA-115
Panel Sizes:
8 @ 16″ x 20″
2 @ 22” X 16”
4 @ 14” X 18.5”
1 @ 18.5” X 14”
2 @ 16” X 16”
Running Feet: 22.2′
Boxed Weight: 90 lbs.