MUSEUM of Royal Worcester staff are celebrating after they were handed the prestigious Botanical Art Award 2020 from the Finnis Scott Foundation.
Together with the Gloucestershire Society for Botanical Illustration (GSBI), the historic venue has been honoured with funds for a new exhibition from May to October entitled ‘Botanical Treasures – inspiration from nature in porcelain and on paper’, with an accompanying programme of family workshops, demonstrations and talks.
Museum director Sophie Heath said: “The core of the exhibition will be works created by the GSBI’s talented members, several of whom are RHS medal winners, displayed alongside the Museum’s beautiful collections of porcelain and original archives.
“The new exhibition will also celebrate the life and legacy of a well-known local botanical art tutor, Stuart Lafford (1953-2016), who taught many of the GSBI’s members and started his career as an apprentice artist at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory in 1972, working on limited editions.
“He later designed some high-profile commissions including the floral centre on the commemorative plate for the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986.”
