Robert Washington-Vaughns

THE POWER OF FLOWERS

Robert Washington-Vaughns is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker from Jordan-era Chicago, currently residing in Santa Fe. A 2024 recipient of the Santa Fe Art and Culture's Art is the Solution grant, his most recent exhibition, Free Our Flowers (2025), explored the narratives of seven Black men and boys using flowers as a catalyst and frame for their testimonies.

Growing up in the lush, shaded concrete streets and shores of Chicago, Robert was influenced by the inner lives of his family, friends, and classmates that only protruded in storytelling, spoken word, and poetry. His artistic vision centers on echoing hushed voices and fostering community healing through nature.

In the works, Robert is developing an upcoming art series titled "Free Our Flowers: Too", which will unveil the hidden stories women carry by creating ephemeral floral installations around women that reflect their experiences and aspirations.

He is also the founder and janitor of the international non-profit Black Men Flower Project, which has provided over 2,000 flowers and bouquets to Black men and boys to date. Robert's work has been featured in People Magazine, Southwest Contemporary, NPR, New Mexico Magazine, and the Albuquerque Journal. Through his art, Washington-Vaughns aims to challenge societal norms and replicate the resilience and softness of nature within individuals and our communities.

What does it mean to, "Bloom"? For Robert Washington-Vaughns it meant graduating college, owning a nice house, driving a new car, having a good job, and buying his mother a mink coat. Until it almost ended his life.

Witness as floral activist Robert Washington-Vaughns intertwines the history of flowers with his own fated path to self-destruction from an unrequited relationship with capitalism. Through an ancient Japanese art technique, Washington-Vaughns would emerge from a 3-month psychiatric vacation with a renewed sense of self and a mission to keep others from speeding down a dead-end street.

Come learn what flowers can teach us about ourselves. And how these delicate symbols of beauty are actually tools to dismantle systemic barriers and build sustainable futures for all.