Stark Museum of Art offers free program exploring artistry, history and scientific significance of 18th century botanical illustration
The Stark Museum of Art is pleased to present Blackwell's Orange: Art from "A Curious Herbal," an engaging slide talk exploring the artistry, history and scientific significance of 18th century botanical illustrations from Elizabeth Blackwell. The slide talk will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 27. This program is a special offering of the Museum's Art After 5 series, happening on the last Thursday of the month through September. Admission is free of charge.
Blackwell's Orange: Art from "A Curious Herbal" will be presented by Curator Sarah Boehme, PhD. Boehme will discuss artist Elizabeth Blackwell's 1737 publication of "A Curious Herbal," a two-volume work identifying medicinal plants. Blackwell created all 500 illustrations herself to raise funds to free her husband from debtor’s prison. This slide talk will explore how Blackwell became the first woman to produce an herbal of this scale, while also examining her detailed illustrations, including "The Orange Tree," and her connections to English botanical gardens.
“The talk will not only explore Blackwell’s interesting life story, but our slides will give an opportunity to see some of her lovely plant illustrations that are not on view. We will share her commentary on how plants served as remedies for illnesses, at a transition time leading toward modern medical science,” said Sarah Boehme, curator of the Stark Museum of Art.
This program is also offered in conjunction with the Museum's special exhibition, "The Color Orange," that explores the history, uses and effects of orange. Blackwell's illustration, "The Orange Tree," is one of the featured works on view in the exhibition. Works from the Stark Museum of Art's collection that span from 1500s to the 2000s exemplify how artists use orange. Examples from European, American and American Indian artists reveal orange's role in exploring nature, creating vibrant imagery and evoking emotions. "The Color Orange" will be on view until October 3, 2026.
Blackwell's Orange: Art from "A Curious Herbal" will be held in the Walter G. Riedel III Education Center at the Stark Museum of Art. The Museum is located at 712 Green Avenue in downtown Orange, Texas, and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Museum and programs, please visit starkmuseum.org
