Blooms with a view

By JOYCE CORRIGAN

“Best in Show” celebrated floral designer Consuelo Pierrepont Spitler’s arrangement, right, inspired by Heide Follin’s “Into the Blue,” left. MARGARET FOX PHOTO

Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s confrontational nudes rendered him not only the “enfant terrible” of New York’s 1970s-‘80s art scene, but the poster child for our never-ending debates about censorship and public funding. Yet it was his flower photographs that rooted him firmly in the mainstream art world. His haunting black-and-white calla lilies, orchids and tulips distilled the same technical rigor of his provocative portraits — and made it easier for museums and collectors who were desperate to acquire “a Mapplethorpe.”

“The sculptural precision and composition genius of Mapplethorpe’s flowers were on a level with classical art traditions,” said Bedford’s Jill Brooke, author of the new book “The Genius of Flowers.” “Not only were they one of the central pillars that shaped how his work was appreciated, but they played a pivotal role in photography’s full integration into the contemporary art world.”

Last week, flowers in art, as well as artfully arranged fresh ones, once again elevated the museum experience. The KMA presented “Art in Bloom” from June 11 to 14. Its centerpiece was a short-run exhibition pairing floral still life with arrangements from floral designers, each tasked with interpreting a single artwork using live flowers and plants. The four-day horticultural event included a cocktail party, hands-on workshops (including floral design and garden-themed art activities), family programs, and guided experiences in the galleries and sculpture garden.

A Friday panel discussion, moderated by Christopher Brescia, invited horticultural creatives including Brooke, founder of the platform Flower Power Daily, sculptor Loren Eiferman and floral designer Garin Baura to discuss their favorite topic: the power of flowers to influence art and design, and enhance the emotional lives of everyone else.

“Whether seeing a floral still life, or real flowers arranged in a vase, wearing a floral print, or hanging floral wallpaper — flowers have clinically proven to be a mood lift,” Brooke said. “As a counterpoint to all the AI angst, remember that flowers have found ways to survive the dinosaurs and every climate disaster; they are the original intelligence.”

“Art in Bloom” was co-chaired by artists Carol Bouyoucos and Audrey Zinman, who, as members of the Bedford Garden Club, also have serious botanical credentials. Zinman, an award-winning decoupage artist, had recently participated in a very successful “Art in Bloom” event at the Vero Beach Museum of Art in Florida.

First launched at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1976, “Art in Bloom”  grew from an event attracting 4,300 visitors into the museum's largest annual public program (pulling roughly 29,000 last year), and has inspired similar celebrations at more than 40 museums across North America.

“We thought the KMA would be the ideal venue to introduce the idea,” Zinman recalled. “The floral designers are local and the artists were all KMA-selected, so it really brought the community together.”

Unlike most exhibitions that are up for months, “Art in Bloom” lasted only a couple of days, which Zinman saw as an asset.

“The ephemeral nature encourages the audience to reflect on the relationship between transience and creativity,” she said. “The arrangements looked different as blossoms bloom and change, offering a new visual experience each day.”

Bouyoucos, who has gained acclaim for her digitally-layered botanical landscapes, always imagined “Art in Bloom” as a feel-good endeavor. 

“I’m most proud that the KMA saw the potential for this,” she said. “Art and gardening enthusiasts, supremely talented flower designers, and local artists all in one joyous collaboration.”

“Art in Bloom” may be 50, but according to Brooke, it’s only now coming into full flower. “Industry experts estimate that the COVID pandemic inspired some 20 million Americans to take up gardening. We finally learned to stop and smell the roses,” she said. “It’s only natural ‘Art in Bloom’ pop-ups would be such reliable audience expanders and revenue generators.”