Garden Katha – From the Garden to the Gallery: Art in Bloom

We love bringing the indoors in.  Flowers and foliage grace our homes.  The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) takes it many steps further by hosting Art in Bloom an exhibition of floral art with a novel twist. Artists and designers interpret select artworks in the Museum’s galleries through floral arrangements. A case of life imitating art!

Arranged and hosted by the Associates of the MFA for 36 years, the exhibition is taking place this weekend, April 28^th to April 30^th. New England garden clubs are invited to come in and interpret one art object each. This year 17 such clubs have been selected to participate.  Each arrangement will be exhibited by the original work of art. Professional designers will adorn the Museum’s public spaces with creative and breathtaking arrangements.

Being the enthusiast that I am of all things blooming and green, I try not to miss this exhibition. This year I have had the privilege of going behind the scenes, so to speak, to understand what it takes to arrange this unique garden to gallery event for the community. Chairperson of the Art in Bloom Committee, Anne Marie Woodhouse graciously explained the work that goes into bringing this together.  A garden enthusiast, with a deep appreciation of horticulture, Anne Marie has chaired this for the last three years. Seventy-five Associates and volunteers, along with other museum staff spend about nine months in bringing this together.  Selecting, managing, and making sure that all the fresh flower and foliage exhibits last the entire three day exhibition period.  Undoubtedly a labor of intense love!

The Museum also invites a guest lecturer, usually a designer renowned in the field to give a demonstration and often conduct workshops. This year the guest of honor is renowned British designer Paula Pryke, who has kindly agreed to be interviewed for Lokvani by yours truly. Ms. Pryke will be giving a demonstration and also a workshop. Her reputation is such that tickets were sold out before one could even say Jack Robinson (not sure of why one says that but one does anyway)! Leave alone standing room, there is not even space for a sneak preview.  But take heart! Visitors can look forward to the Art in Bloom at Home demonstrations, which don’t require reservations.

Perhaps the most unique thing this year is the gamut and the expanse, and the theme of connection - the outdoor with the inside and with the world outside.  For the first time, one will be able to see Ikebana creations,  the renowned Japanese style of floral arrangements.  The Ikebana Society of Boston will give live demonstrations of this ancient art of arranging flowers.  In keeping with the theme, there will be outdoor walking tours of the Museum’s famed Japanese Garden, to see the architectural elements of the MFA itself, and continue into the surrounding gardens of the neighborhood –reminding us of the inherent connection of art in bloom (no pun intended).  

For further information on Art in Bloom please visit ww.mfa.org

Sreemoti Mukerjee-Roy resides in Lexington and when she  is not writing columns on gardening she is busy in her garden or designing floral arrangements. She welcomes your questions and comments at florasree@gmail.com

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