Festival of Fine Arts & Flowers
But seriously, with springtime comes sunshine, warmer weather, allergies, and, of course, flowers. The Orlando Museum of Art is once again hosting Art in Bloom: Festival of Fine Arts and Flowers. It is a wondrous showcase of spectacularly fresh floral designs inspired by the fine arts works from the museum’s permanent collection and current exhibitions. It’s a fun-filled, three-day, harmonious marriage of flowers complementing art, and vice versa.
Last year set the bar high by kicking off the festival with an exclusive ‘60s inspired Flower Power Party, stocked with an open bar, specialty cocktails, and sumptuous hors d’oeuvres amid the sounds of mid-century music, as well as a live fashion sketch experience. Renowned Central Florida florists participated in the event with their floral interpretations of OMA’s art collection, and local garden clubs also lent their floral flair. James Farmer, gardener, author, florist, interior designer, and cook and lifestyle expert, was a special guest where VIP ticket holders could pick his brain before attending his lecture and book signing.
This year’s guest speakers include Carleton Varney, president and owner of Dorothy Draper & Co., and Margot Shaw, Editor-in-Chief of Flower Magazine and author of Living Floral: Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers. Hopefully, familiar floral designers will return for the festival as well as newcomers, and perhaps we can expect the return of a pop-up boutique selling fresh take-home plants and blossoms, a daintily crafted floral-inspired tea room serving iced tea, desserts, and wine, hands-on floral art workshops, a mystery home tour, antique shopping, and more.
Art in Bloom: Festival of Fine Arts and Flowers is on March 26-29 at the Orlando Museum of Art.
