Press Details18th Annual Art Blooms, The Fragrance of Flowers, on View March 29-April 1 at the Walters Art Museum
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18TH ANNUAL ART BLOOMS, THE FRAGRANCE OF FLOWERS, ON VIEW MARCH 29–APRIL 1 AT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM Baltimore—The Walters Art Museum announces The Fragrance of Flowers, the 18th-annual Art Blooms event, to be held Thursday, March 29 through Sunday, April 1. This springtime event is a Baltimore tradition, which includes a program of floral displays, lectures and an evening cocktail celebration. Art Blooms at the Walters will begin with an opening night party—The Fragrance of Food—on Thursday, March 29. This cocktail and buffet dinner event in the Sculpture Court of the Walters’ Palazzo Building will include a preview of the Meyerhoff collection of still-life paintings by masterful artists such as Delacroix, Cezanne, Klee and Matisse, as well as a viewing of regional garden club floral designs. Jane Meyerhoff’s allergy to scent led her to collect spectacular floral still-life paintings, and in tribute this year’s Art Blooms is called The Fragrance of Flowers. Paintings from the museum’s popular 19th-century collection and the Meyerhoff exhibition—including works by Ingres, Barye, Monet, Pissarro and Tiffany—will inspire 35 garden clubs to create 33 interpretive floral arrangements. Their work will be on view to museum visitors Friday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, March 31 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Friday, March 30, Art Blooms welcomes Hitomi Gilliam, an internationally-acclaimed floral artist whose love of art and nature influences her floral designs. She is one of only five recipients of the American Institute of Floral Designers’ prestigious Design Influence Award. Gilliam will present, Affinity to Flowers–Evocative Styles to Awaken the Senses, a morning lecture/demonstration, and Primordial Flowers–Artful Designing for Today’s Lifestyle, a lunch and design workshop. She will also interpret two paintings in Floral Still Lifes from the Collection of Robert and Jane Meyerhoff. Docent-led tours of the floral interpretations will take place on Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and on Sunday, April 1 from noon to 2 p.m. In addition, on Sunday, April 1 from 1 to 3 p.m., there will be mini workshops on flower design and gardening with Peter Bieneman and Trina Gay of Greenfields Nursery & Landscape Co.; Leigh Barnes of Companion Plantings; and Nancy and Tracy Swindell of The Right Touch. Art Blooms Ticket Prices Friday, March 30 For information about Art Blooms and to obtain tickets, call 410-547-9000, ext 305 or visit the web at http://www.thewalters.org/eventscalendar/eventdetails.aspx?e=462. The Walters’ Women’s Committee was formed in 1963 to support the museum and its mission. Since 1990, the committee has raised over $1 million through Art Blooms for exhibitions, special projects and the Education Endowment for the Walters Art Museum. Proceeds from this year’s Art Blooms will make possible the Walters’ 2007 summer exhibition, Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt. Organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the exhibition at the Walters, on view June 15–Aug. 26, 2007, will feature 45 traditional American quilts demonstrating an affinity for modern abstract painting. Created by 38 women who span four generations, they represent the long-standing and prolific quilting history of the isolated, African-American community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The Walters Art Museum is located in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon Cultural District at North Charles and Centre streets. Its permanent collection includes ancient art, medieval art and manuscripts, decorative objects, Asian art and Old Master and 19th-century paintings. Peabody Court is the official hotel of the Walters Art Museum. For hotel reservations, call 1-800-292-5500. Media Contacts: |
