Art in Bloom – Valerie's Voice

Creativity was all around at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The annual Art in Bloom exhibit opened on Thursday, April 27^th and I went on the first day, while the blooms are fresh.

This stunning bouquet greeted people as they entered the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

The concept is for floral designers to pair with a piece of artwork in the museum, to create a floral arrangement to compliment the work, usually attempt to represent the art piece using flowers.

A great representation of the idea behind *Art in Bloom*, including the color of the vase.

It is a very popular affair… lots of traffic, buses, etc… but, once inside this free event, people are able to spread out throughout the second and third floors and it doesn’t feel crowded.

I liked this arrangement for *Immaculate Madonna*. I have always liked white flowers.

We meandered around and enjoyed the floral designer’s creations, taking photos of some, but not all – over 100 displays.

A beautiful portrait, a beautiful flower arrangement.

Occasionally the floral designer is standing next to their creation, ready to answer questions. That is a nice touch.

It’s always fun to try and see how the flowers compliment the artwork…sometimes using the imagination to make it work.

It is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, walking among great artwork and seeing so many beautiful flower arrangements at the same time.

This is lovely, but some folks commented it needs a stand alone flower to represent the dog in the painting. I agree. 😉

It’s also a great way for MIA to highlight its many art pieces.

I had to include this photo because the designer said it’s the only Norwegian painting in the museum. I liked the use of evergreen trees.

This was fun because the painting is entitled *The Birthday Party*, and the floral designer used a cake plate as part of her creation.

A dramatic dragon spiting fire made of flowers. This was next to a Chinese mask.

I forget what a gem the institute is to Minnesota…with or without fresh-cut flowers.

During the wet snowstorm last week I braved the elements and went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Mia) for their Art in Bloom exhibit.

This was my first time to see this annual event of floral artistry. I think it works like this: a floral artist submits an idea using flowers and greenery that depicts different pieces of artwork…either sculpture, ceramics or paintings.

When awarded, the artist starts creating their floral masterpiece which is then set next to the artwork. A plaque conveys the artists name and how many times they have participated in this event.