A bountiful, multicolor rose ensemble, a tropical floral creation featuring large rainforest-like leaves and a glittering gold vase overflowing with bright-white calla lilies enthralled floral enthusiasts upon entering “Art in Bloom,” The North Carolina Museum of Art’s third annual floral extravaganza. The floral showcase captivated guests with more than 50 designers’ impressive artwork. The both indoor and outdoor event took place at the museum Thursday through Sunday.
The ever-popular phenomenon of floral art has been in existence for years, stemming the Boston Museum of Fine Arts’ decision to blend art and flowers in the first-ever floral art showcase 40 years ago. Ever since, art museums across the country have followed suit. NCMA has seen much success with their adoption of this fairly modern trend, as “Art in Bloom” proves a true crowd favorite. The floral show’s project manager, Laura Finan, worked to ensure the much-anticipated event was, once again, a success.
“The planning actually starts in December,” Finan said. “We make sure to find all of the designers as we can, and get the word out as soon as possible. It’s a group effort between staff, volunteers and small designers to make ‘Art in Bloom’ happen.’”
Floral designers can apply to participate in the event beginning in November. To apply, each designer submits a floral portfolio of their best work, and the artists are chosen on a first come first serve basis. Finan adds that this is the first year “Art in Bloom” had a waitlist of floral designers wanting to participate.
Due to popular demand among the rich, artsy community of Raleigh, “Art in Bloom” tickets went on sale in early December in order to satisfy floral-hungry community members. Finan regards the premier floral show as the museum’s most popular event all year, bringing in enough revenue to maintain NCMA’s much-loved free admission to the public, as well as a way for the museum to bring additional programming to the public.
“It’s been terrific,” Finan said. “First of all, the building smells fantastic. You have this otherwise white building filled with colors. People also respond nicely to it, since it’s a fun thing for families to do on the weekend.”
The event also provided free guided tours for guests, who were able to explore the fresh blooms, learn about sustainability features and view modern art on display. After seeing the wide variety of floral art pieces, guests could then cast their vote for the “People’s Choice Award,” an award granted to the designer whose work proved to be a crowd favorite. Popular floral-related venues appeared at the showcase, including the Durham Garden Center, Oasis Floral Products and Petals on the Go.
Outside the museum, children gathered around “Petals on the Go,” a local flower truck founded by Amanda Malone, to make D.I.Y. floral crowns out of fresh flowers. The mobile floral shop was booming in popularity among adults as well, who lined up to purchase fresh bouquets of classic spring flowers.
“We’re the first local flower truck in the triangle,” Malone said. “We were very fortunate to be asked to come out and be on sight. We sell medium and large bouquets from the truck, and I think we’ve done really well. Being out here and having people see us and what we do has been really positive for us.”
It was only appropriate that the museum’s sit-down restaurant, Blue Ridge Atrium, featured dishes and drinks made with edible flowers. The “Elderflower Sangria,” “Mint Lemonade Punch” and the “Raspberry Rose Chocolate Brownie,” were a few of the floral-encompassing pick-me-ups the Blue Ridge Atrium offered.
Specific workshops and programs accompanied the four-day floral showcase, from “Bonasi for Beginners” to floral fashion show, “Horti-Couture-Fresh Flowers on Stage,” guests had a plethora of opportunities to view flowers in new and enticing ways. Details about future events can be found on NCMA’s website,http://ncartmuseum.org/.
Attendees look at installation art as part of the third annual “Art in Bloom” event at the North Carolina Museum of Art on Saturday. “Art in Bloom,” presented by PNC, ran from Thursday to Sunday. The four-day event included a park tour, a floral jewelry workshop and a botanical couture headpieces master class, as well as many other featured workshops.
