About this campaign
This beautiful common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) watercolor was painted by William Crutchfield in 1934 and was given to Reflection Riding to use as a fundraiser. Prints were sold and we still have some of them framed in our welcome center.
We thought it would be fun to resurrect his work and use it on t-shirts to celebrate the 32nd Annual Native Plant Sale at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center. UTC's Special Collections include hundreds of his prints, and they explain that ?although Crutchfield worked as an architect, one of his other interests was nature and wildflowers. During the Great Depression, his hobby of creating watercolor paintings of wildflowers turned into a life-saver since the poor economy had temporarily crippled business."
"In the winter of 1931, Crutchfield began his color studies of wildflowers and before his death in 1956 had completed 460 color plates. Crutchfield's watercolors began as a 'life-saving' hobby during the Depression and bloomed into a collection that serves as a beautiful and timely admonition that the need to conserve the natural habitat of wildflowers is the shared responsibility of all.?
Proceeds will help support our horticulture operations including native plant propagation, invasive/exotic plant eradication as well as teaching through our arboretum and related programming. Let us know what you think, and if you have an idea for our next shirt please email us at [email protected].
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental learning hub that reconnects Chattanoogans with nature. Filling an important need for outdoor experience in our technology-driven world, we envision a healthier, more creative city whose residents become stewards of their natural surroundings.
UTC collection information: https://findingaids.library.utc.edu//repositories/2/resources/93
Shop the sale http://reflectionriding.org/sale
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