There was a wintry nip in the air last Thursday but it definitely looked like spring at the annual Art in Bloom Luncheon at the Vero Beach Museum of Art to benefit its education programs. The popular event featured a return engagement by Bruno Duarte, owner and creative director of Fresh Floral Creations in Toronto. It was also a repeat pairing of luncheon co-chairs Connie Patterson and Dhuanne Tansill and exhibition co-chairs Lee LaPointe and Ann Webber.
“I think it’s the most sophisticated and well-presented show that we’ve ever had. This is the 10th show,” said Webber, who has coordinated the exhibition with LaPointe since the event’s inception. They work closely with Dana Twersky, Collections and Exhibitions manager, who selects various works from the museum’s collections for the designers to choose from.
“Each person gets to pick a first, second and third choice,” explained Webber. “When they send in their choice it has to be by U.S. Mail, because it goes by the postmark date. It’s old-fashioned but it works. We have arrangers here from all over the country; it’s by invitation.”
This year’s creatively talented designers were Ann Boyd, Ann Jones, Barbara Kaytes, Lee LaPointe, Suzanne Mallory, Betty McCarthy, Sharie Mortimer, Helena Pearson, Kathleen Poole, Gretchen Riley, Pinkie Roe, Elaine Sigler, Marty Van Allen, Ann Webber, Arun Wijetilleke and Frances Wilson.
“We are so appreciative of these volunteer floral arrangers; it’s just fabulous,” said VBMA Board Chairman Sandy Rolf. “We couldn’t do this show without them. It’s a wonderful opportunity to look at our art exhibitions in a different way; the interpretation is so unbelievable. They work six months or more on these, always plotting and planning what they’re going to do. It’s pretty impressive.”
Guests from the gardenia group were the first to arrive and, ballots in hand, wandered about the hallways and galleries viewing the remarkable arrangements, each inspired by a different work of art. As they filtered into the Holmes Great Hall for lunch and Duarte’s floral demonstration, they dropped off ballots indicating which of the impressive arrangements received their votes in each of four categories. The process began anew for the azalea group, who enjoyed their demonstration in the auditorium before lunching in the atrium.
“I’ve done my voting but it was very hard to choose; they’re all very good,” said Mary Susan Lyon, who was particularly impressed with the silvery interpretation of the Karen LaMonte glass sculpture, “Reclining Dress Absence.” “I thought that was a very clever interpretation; it’s a mirror image.”
This was the first Vero Beach Art in Bloom for new Executive Director/CEO Brady Roberts, but he had experienced similar events as director of museums in Phoenix and Milwaukee.
“The fun thing for me is that all three are very different regions; very different flora. So they all have a very different character,” said Roberts, who voted as his Director’s Choice, Elaine Sigler’s interpretation of John Marin’s painting, “Sea in Red Umber with Figure.”
“I looked at how the flow complimented the composition. It’s difficult to have that dialog so that it’s a good interpretative response and not a copy of the painting with flowers.”
Winners chosen by the ladies were – Best in Show: Ann Boyd for her interpretation of the Louise Nevelson wood and paper collage, “Series of an Unknown Cosmos”; Best Use of Color: Arnun Wijetilleke for the Eva Koller Davies painting, “Colorplay #3”; Best Interpretation: Barb Kaytes and Frances Wilson of the Elizabeth Catlett onyx sculpture, “Triangular Woman”; and Best Use of Texture: Marty Van Allen for the Christine Federighi stoneware and oil sculpture, “Petroglyph Flight.”
