History in Bloom at Anderson House
Objective: To bring the Art in Bloom program to Washington, D.C. beginning with an inaugural event at Anderson House in the spring of 2021; and to generate interest in an annual Art in Bloom program that travels to other Washington museums or exists in a permanent museum home.
Background: The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston hosted the original Art in Bloom exhibit in 1976. Local florists and garden club members created floral arrangements to correspond with the museum’s art collection. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the St. Louis Art Museum have hosted similar exhibits.
Vision: Art in Bloom is an opportunity for museum patrons to view an interpretation, not a re-creation, of a specific artwork or collection or theme (including architectural inspirations) rendered in a floral medium. In addition to viewing floral installations in a virtual photo gallery, in future years patrons may also be brought into the museum to for guest lectures, tours and floral demonstrations tied to the event.
Costs: This is a non-profit event developed to boost awareness of each of the participating organizations: the participating florists, the venue, the photographers, and the planner. Each florist will donate their own time and materials, and the venue, photography and planning are also fully donated and receive no income for this project.
Visual options for Interpretation:
—Anderson House is the headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati and some of the artwork inside marks our county’s eighteenth century origins and pride in the liberties we share today.
—Larz Anderson’s history as a diplomat, and the house’s gilded age history as a centerpiece for diplomatic entertaining are the bulk of what visitors see and any of the artwork or artifacts on display could be used as an inspiration or background.
—The Andersons’ large collection of Asian objects throughout the house make for natural design options, as well as the Italian cathedral wooden choir stalls, and the Flemish tapestries throughout the second floor
Art in Bloom in other cities:
The Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Images: Below are random images from different museums that show the variety of floral pieces inspired by the museum artwork and architecture around them.
