Art and Flowers Collide at Columbus Museum of Art

Claire Lefton
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 14:30:08 +0000
Arts & Life, Events, art, arts in bloom, biannual, columbus museum of art, flowers, local art

Art and flowers complement each other at Columbus Museum of Art’s “Art in Bloom” event. Credit: Courtesy of Betsy Meacham.

The worlds of floral design and fine art will come together this weekend at the Columbus Museum of Art for its biannual “Art in Bloom” event.

Local florists are brought in by the museum every other year to create floral arrangements in their own individual style based on pieces in its collection.

“So there’s two different ways to look at the designing,” said Brian Coovert, a local florist will be participating in the event. “A lot of people try to replicate or duplicate the artwork and then there’s also interpretation.”

The displays will not be restricted to just one area, but will be everywhere from the main buildings to the sculpture garden.

“In our 1931 building we’ll have large bouquet sized pieces that accompany specific paintings or sculpture,” said Betsy Meacham, donor events manager for the Columbus Museum of Art. “Then in our new wing, we have enough space to do these large installations that can interpret an entire gallery or a group of works.”

The museum sees the event as a way to explore different facets of Columbus’s artistic communities and bring them together for an event in which they are equally showcased.

“Both flowers and art involve a lot of creativity,” Meacham said. “I think this event allows that to feed off of each other so a lot of the florists learn our collection really well and get inspired by the works throughout the years.”

The event, which has been going for around 30 years, has included many florists in its existence, some of which are still currently involved.

“We actually have some florists who have been doing this for around 15 years or more. We have new people this year as well, so it’s a nice mix of community and creativity,” Meacham said.

“Art in Bloom” is more than just floral displays. There also will be collaborative workshops, live floral design, a performance by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and a flower-couture party to kick the whole thing off.

“It’s the merging of art, flowers, and design, so it’s a really fun time to visit the museum. You come in and it smells great, and it looks different than normal,” Meacham said.