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Blooming Wonderful!

Just as a flower blooms and fades, so it is with Art in Bloom at the NCMA. It is hard to believe that it has come and gone again. All the designers and Museum staff are thrilled and honored by your attendance–which numbered over 14,000, by the way! The Museum was simply buzzing with visitors, and there is no greater compliment than to have you come and explore our floral art creations. Behind the scenes there was a flurry of activity to keep the flowers fresh and beautiful from start to finish. 

The 2016 People’s Choice winner: Teresa Godfrey, AIFD, was inspired by Frederick Carl Frieseke’s The Garden Parasol.

Designer Olivier Giugni at a floral design workshop
 

Designer Steve Taras at a floral demonstration
 It was a great pleasure to meet many of you at the opening gala. It was a sold-out opening that featured an opportunity to meet each of the designers. Next year, buy your tickets early!

I learned a great deal from our local and guest designers. For instance, Olivier Giugni taught us the techniques and beauty of the leaf wraps that he incorporates into his signature designs. I also learned that tulips like a dash of vodka to help them stand tall and stay firm. Who knew? There is nothing better to help us grow than exposure–to art, beauty, and people. I was inspired by the varied paths the designers took to express themselves.

I learned that tulips like a dash of vodka to help them stand tall and stay firm. Who knew?

Our orchid design came together with the flowers arriving in the nick of time. We ended up with over 1,200 stems of James Story, Vanda, and Cymbidium orchids from Thailand, Hawaii, and Holland. The last-minute delivery enabled the flowers to stay fresh all week, and the best part was not having to go to Plan B (we may have to keep that one in our pocket for next year).

My personal design, inspired by the Roman mosaic, came out beautifully. I ended up using delicate cream ranunculus, purple fritillary, black calla lilies, Kermit buttons, and more–a long way from where I began, but the idea of pulling the design upward to see the makings beneath was fun to create. I can’t help but think that maybe the designer of the mosaic in ancient times was inspired by the symmetry and patterns found in flowers.

The beauty of a flower is that it is for just a moment in time. There is a fleeting opportunity to experience its beauty–just as there is a short time to experience Art in Bloom. I hope that you were inspired enough to come again next year (save the dates, March 30—April 2, 2017).

The flowers may have faded, but your Museum is here for you every day, with beauty both in the galleries and in the Museum Park. You might say we’re a perennial. Enjoy!

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