“Rite – a religious or other solemn ceremony or act.” (Dictionary.com)

Art in Bloom is a four-day festival of floral arrangements and fine art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art that features 165 floral designs that interpret works of art from the MIA’s collection. My selected samples below show why Art in Bloom has become for me a rite of spring.

It always amazes me how classic works of art, some that are hundreds of years old, and flowers, whose beauty lasts just a few days, combine to make something magical each year.

Artwork: Grainstack, by Claude Monet
Floral Artist: Donna Krska, seven-year participant in Art in Bloom, “My floral arrangement echoes the beautiful palette and color choices in Monet’s piece.”

 

Artwork: Battledore, by Albert Joseph More
Floral Artist: Janeen Rae, twelve-year participant in Art in Bloom, “This arrangement honors the memory of my long-time friend Gary Erickson, and reflects the painting’s beauty of form, color and composition.”

 

Artwork: Saint Lucy, by Benedetto di Bindo Zoppo
Floral Artist: Terry Carter, seventeen-year participant in Art in Bloom, “I was attracted to the colors in this devotional piece that are still rich after 600 years.”

 

Artwork: Springtime of Life, by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Floral Artist: Diane Enge, eighteen-year participant in Art in Bloom, 2016 Art in Bloom People’s Choice Winner, “I chose botanicals with subtle colors that reflect this painting’s divine feeling of spring.”

 

Artwork: On the Thames, A Heron, by James Tissot
Floral Artist: Ciara Cagemoe, first-year participant in Art in Bloom, “I see this painting as a disguise of sorts so my arrangement is pretending to be something that it is not.”

 

Artwork: Ganymede and the Eagle, by Bertel Thorvaldsen
Floral Artists: Phyllis Andrews and Kathryn Malody from the Minnesota Peony Society, thirty-three year participants in Art in Bloom, “Peonies, of course!”

 

Artwork: Olive Trees, by Vincent Van Gogh
Floral Artist: Alissa Nudi, two-year participant in Art in Bloom, “My arrangement depicts the intensity of brushstrokes, the sun and the mountains in this classic work by Van Gogh.”