Art in Bloom returns this weekend

Art in Bloom expands with exotic flair
Fifth annual Art in Bloom event premieres Iron Designer competition, wine tent, March 29–April 1

Milwaukee, Wis. – Get a jump start on spring at Art in Bloom, the annual tribute to art and flowers at the Milwaukee Art Museum, March 29–April 1, 2012. The inspiration for this year’s event is the Museum’s feature exhibition, Accidental Genius: Art from the Anthony Petullo Collection.

Showcasing the talents of over forty-five renowned floral designers from across the Midwest, Art in Bloom brings together gardening, floral arranging, and landscape design, inspired by the art beneath the wings of the Museum and throughout the Galleries. The event also includes lectures, seminars, and activities for both experienced and novice gardeners.

This year, the event will also expand outdoors with a heated tent, allowing for more displays and a first-ever Art in Bloom wine garden. Also new this year is the event’s Iron Designer competition, where past award winners will come together to design a floral arrangement in less than one hour. Iron Designers will include Nicholas Carl from Nicholas Carl Design, Denise Gehrke from Waukesha Floral & Greenhouse, and Pam Borgardt from Milaegers.

“Art in Bloom is a perfect way to welcome spring while expanding and enriching your own floral and gardening knowledge,” said Daniel Keegan, director of the Milwaukee Art Museum. “With guest appearances by celebrity floral designers and master gardeners, René van Rems, Mark Dwyer, Zannah Crowe, and Melinda Myers, it’s a fun and inspiring environment.”

A complete schedule of lectures, events, and ticket information can be found at mam.org/bloom.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM
The Milwaukee Art Museum’s far-reaching holdings include more than 30,000 works spanning antiquity to the present day. With a history dating back to 1888, the Museum houses a collection with strengths in 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary art, American decorative arts, and folk and self-taught art. The Museum includes the Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion, named by Time magazine as “Best Design of 2001.” For more information, please visit www.mam.org.

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