Roses and Wildflowers [Society for Ritual Arts]

Roses and Wildflowers, convened by the Society for Ritual Arts, is a decentralized, online platform dedicated to the intersection of ritual practice and contemporary art. Founded as a response to the increasing commodification of spiritual and ceremonial forms, the society operates without a fixed physical location, instead organizing periodic thematic calls that culminate in digital publications, remote performances, and ephemeral gatherings. Its ethos is rooted in the belief that ritual—as a structured, symbolic action—offers a vital framework for artistic inquiry, one that resists the spectacle of the mainstream art world in favor of intimacy, repetition, and transformation. The organization takes its name from the botanical ephemera often used in folk ceremonies, signaling a commitment to the overlooked, the seasonal, and the vernacular. Each call, such as the recent 'Yellow Kings, Red Queens, and Broken Things,' invites artists to engage with specific symbolic vocabularies, treating them not as fixed icons but as living materials for reconfiguration. The society does not seek to professionalize ritual art; rather, it fosters a community of practitioners who value process over product and meaning over marketability.