THE DRIEHAUS MUSEUM OFFERS CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES AND FREE ADMISSION ON JULY 12

THE DRIEHAUS MUSEUM OFFERS CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES AND FREE ADMISSION ON JULY 12

VISITORS OF ALL AGES CAN ENJOY COLORFUL BOTANICAL ART EXHIBITION RORY McEWEN: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON NATURE

CHICAGO – Inspired by its current exhibition Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature exploring the trailblazing career and legacy of Scottish artist Rory McEwen (on view through August 17, 2025), the Driehaus Museum invites families to a joyful celebration of storytelling, creativity, and community with author and artist Laura Smetana, who will create a series of hands-on demonstrations based on her book My Love for You is Like a Garden. The family-friendly programming is offered during the Driehaus Museum’s Free Community Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 12. A parent or guardian must accompany their child(ren) for the duration of each program and advance registration is encouraged.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE AND TICKETS:

Storytime & Draw-Along (Preschool–Kindergarten)

11:00am – 11:30am 

Join Laura for a warm and interactive read-aloud of My Love for You is Like a Garden, followed by a hands-on demonstration of her signature cut-paper collage technique. Young artists will create a vibrant garden scene alongside Laura during a fun and age-appropriate draw-along session.

Illustration, Inspiration, & Draw-Along (Grades K–5)

11:45 am- 12:30 pm

Discover the inspiration behind My Love for You is Like a Garden as Laura shares her story of resilience, creativity, and nature’s role in the creation of the book—especially how a tornado shaped her art and garden. Kids will get a behind-the-scenes look at her illustration process and participate in a guided draw-along followed by a Q&A.

Cut-Paper Collage Cardmaking Table (All Ages)

1:00pm – 2:30pm 

Families can design their own unique cut-paper collage greeting cards with Laura inspired by the art featured in My Love for You is Like a Garden and Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature. People of all ages are encouraged to make a card for a loved one or for Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care, the principal charity of The Chicago Highland Games, one of Driehaus Museum’s partners for the current exhibition. This is a drop-in activity and requires no advance reservation.

Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature explores the trailblazing career and legacy of Scottish artist Rory McEwen, whose work is considered one of the major turning points in the development of contemporary botanical art. Presenting over one hundred works, including sculpture and manuscripts, the exhibition reveals how McEwen forged his own personal interpretation of 20th century modernism, portraying flowers, leaves, and vegetables as individual subjects worthy of their own portraits.

Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature offers viewers an unparalleled context to explore McEwen’s pioneering artistic vision. The exhibition presents works by McEwen alongside works by the 17th and 18th century painters whom he studied—such as Nicolas Robert, Pierre Joseph Redouté, Georg Dionysius Ehret, and Claude Aubriet—as well as early illuminated manuscripts and folio volumes drawn from the Mellon Collection, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Establishing McEwen’s role in shaping new generations of artists, the exhibition also features the work of contemporary botanical artists who continue to shape McEwen’s artistic legacy. By encompassing a rare ability to see a plant as more than “just” a plant—to imbue his paintings with a sense of his subject’s “soul”—his techniques have had a lasting impact on botanical artists today.

The Driehaus Museum’s presentation of Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature is generously supported by Greg Cameron and Greg Thompson in memory of Jeff Cameron, the Driehaus Trust Company, LLC., and the Kovler Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Barbi and Tom Donnelley, Joseph P. Gromacki, Susan and Harlow Higinbotham and The USA Education Charitable Trust, Leslie Hindman, Marjorie K. Staples and Friends of Rory McEwen. Programming for the exhibition is sponsored by the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation.

The exhibition is curated by Ruth L. A. Stiff, Curator of International Exhibitions, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London) and accompanied by a full-color catalogue produced by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. It is presented in association with the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (Virginia) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with tour management by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA. Major support is provided by the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation.

For more information about the Richard H. Driehaus Museum, driehausmuseum.org or call 312-482-8933.



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