Meet this week’s guest editor, Beth Anne Booth! Beth Anne is an artist, survivor, and advocate for the healing power of creativity and nature. A Williamsburg, Virginia, native, she studied art history and design at the University of Alabama, Oxford University, and the Corcoran College of Art + Design. Her career has spanned prestigious institutions like the Smithsonian, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and Richmond’s arts and culture scene, most recently at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
A woman in recovery, Beth Anne shares openly about her sober journey, which has provided her with a strong spiritual foundation. In 2022, she faced a life-altering lung disease that led to a double-lung transplant in June 2024. Through it all, she found strength in abstract expressionism, embracing the deep connection between art and healing.
Now based in Richmond, Beth Anne continues to create, travel for live music, and draw inspiration from bold colors, eclectic textures, and the natural world. She collects Mexican folk art, finds comfort in hawks, and secretly dreams of being a DJ.
Take it away, Beth Anne ...
photo credit: John Enright
Valentines Day at Rosewood
Stop by Rosewood Clothing on Friday, February 14th, starting at 12:00 pm, to pick up a beautiful premade bouquet—perfect for your sweetheart or yourself! All proceeds will benefit Safe Harbor RVA, supporting survivors of violence and abuse. Swing by, grab a bouquet, and help spread the love while supplies last!
Soul for Soil (January 31 – March 27, 2025) at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden explores the deep historical and spiritual bond between African American culture and the natural world. Curated by The Art Seen, this exhibit highlights resilience, creativity, and renewal through an artistic lens. Located in the Community Art Gallery in the Kelly Education Center, it is included with Garden admission.
Portals, a community-based exhibition in Shockoe Bottom, is on display now through the end of February. Created by the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia (BHMVA) in collaboration with the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities, with support from Venture Richmond and The Art Seen, this exhibit features large-scale historic photographs showcasing African American life from the early 1800s to the 1980s.
image credit: Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia
More from Beth Anne...
I created Healing Whole Arts in 2021 as a space for reflection, healing, and creativity—unaware that it would prepare me for a profound physical journey. After a sudden unspecified interstitial lung disease (ILD) diagnosis in 2023, I received a double-lung transplant on June 14, 2024, a moment that transformed both my life and my art.
An elevated perspective, combined with a surge of creative energy, gave rise to the "Breathe" series—a body of large-scale paintings rooted in abstract expressionism. This collection is my artistic response to the emotions and experiences I went through, from the moment I received "The Call" that lungs were available to the "First Breath" I took with my donor’s lungs.
Join me for an Artist Q&A and public viewing of the "Breathe" series on Wednesday, February 26, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at The Yellow House. Experience the art, embrace the present, and breathe it all in. FREE with RSVP via Eventbrite.
