Sarum College’s Georgian meeting rooms, including the newly refurbished Seaton Rooms, will be the setting for The Garden in Art, an exhibition of floral artwork by the Salisbury Florilegium Society artists from 1 to 5pm on Sunday 28 May during this year’s Open Gardens Trail. The exhibition has become a popular part of the trail which gives visitors a chance to see the hidden treasures in beautiful gardens that are tucked away from public view.
Artist and teacher Sally Pond formed the Salisbury Florilegium Society in 2016 in the wake of her success teaching botanical art courses at Sarum College (see below, photo taken from a course held in the Anderson Room).
In addition to exhibiting during the Garden Trail, the Society produced book, The Secret Gardens of the Close, to mark the 800th anniversary of Salisbury Cathedral. Proceeds from sales of the book and paintings were donated to Friends of Salisbury Cathedral for the restoration of a stained glass window dedicated to the Society.
The annual exhibition has evolved to a more diverse celebration of floral art across a wider range of styles from pure botanical to abstract. Visitors to the Garden Trail should take in the exhibition on their way around the gardens. The Florilegium book and cards will be on sale and several of the artists will be there to talk about the work.
Works from local artists Nicola Bell, Merilyn Cooper, Christina Hart-Davies and Jenny Monds will also be on display during the exhibition.
‘The joy of the natural world cannot be contained or explained but by looking and truly seeing, it is balm to the soul,’ says Sally, whose Cedar of Lebanon in Salisbury Cathedral Close illustrates the heading of this post.
Tea and cake will be available in the Bishop’s garden at South Canonry. Proceeds go to the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral and Sudan Medical Link.
Open Gardens – entry information
£10 adults, accompanied under 16s free, includes entry into the art exhibition.
Entry programmes will be available on the day from the tent on Choristers’ Green, to the right as you enter the Close.
Parking is available in nearby city centre car parks. Limited parking (£8) in the Close is for disabled badge holders only.
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