Botanical Art Festival cultivates bond between art, nature [Video]

The visual arts and the outdoors have had a special connection for Charlottesville residents since the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont first broke ground. The inaugural Botanical Art Festival, taking place Saturday through Sept. 12, will offer a variety of free community events to unite two passions that thrill and soothe the senses.

The festival begins at 10 a.m. Saturday with Gatherings in the Garden, a free activity at the Melbourne Road site, and comes to a close at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with the Botanical Art Show, a ticketed event at the Bradbury on the city’s Downtown Mall. Proceeds from art sales at the show will help both local artists and the Botanical Garden and its programming.

The Botanical Art Show, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bradbury, will provide live music, cocktails, light fare and local artists’ depictions of Central Virginia flora. Tickets are $125; cocktail attire …