Complete Schedule of Art In Bloom Programs and Events

Thursday, April 10-Sunday, April 13

Note: This schedule can also be downloaded in PDF format

Thursday, April 10

5:00-8:00 p.m.
Art After 5

  • Professionally judged Art in Bloom awards posted. Panel of judges-Kitty Larkin and Elaine Burke (accredited judges) and Museum curator, Laurie Winters.
  • Collection galleries open with artwork-inspired floral displays.
  • People’s Choice Awards voting begins. Ballots will be available for visitors to cast their votes for Best in Show, Best Creative Design, and Best Traditional Design.
  • The Baumgartner Galleria marketplace will offer furnishings for your own garden and home.
  • Plein-Air Artists-Shelby Keefe, Mary Ulm Mayhew, Katie Musolff, Tom Nachreiner, and Chuck Weber will be painting floral masterpieces in Windhover Hall. All works will be raffled off at the conclusion of the weekend. Artist supplies provided by Utrecht Art Supplies.

5:30 p.m.
Let’s Talk Gardening
Windhover Hall. Free with general admission.
Mike Nowak, Chicago’s WGN host of “Let’s Talk Gardening,” writer and columnist for Chicagoland Gardening Magazine, and a Chicago Master Gardener, will be on hand to present an overview of the Art in Bloom activities and to interview floral designers and key experts involved in the event. An audience Q&A will follow. 

7:00 p.m.
Jews, Music and the American Dream
Lubar Auditorium. Free with general admission.
Through words and music, world-acclaimed jazz pianist, producer, singer, and composer Ben Sidran traces the contributions of Jewish composers, performers, producers, and arrangers.  Sponsored by Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters.

Friday, April 11

9 a.m.
Milwaukee Art Museum Member Breakfast
Café Calatrava. $13.50
Members are invited to join us for an exclusive continental breakfast in the Café Calatrava. Docent-led tours of the Collection galleries with artwork-inspired floral displays begin at 10 a.m. Seating is limited. Call the Membership Hotline for reservations: 414-224-3284.

10 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

  • Collection galleries open with artwork-inspired floral displays.
  • The Baumgartner Galleria marketplace will offer furnishings for your own garden and home.
  • People’s Choice Awards voting continues. Ballots available for visitors to cast their votes for Best in Show, Best Creative Design, and Best Traditional Design.
  • Plein-air art raffle continues.

10 a.m.
Drop-in docent-led tours
Free with general admission.  Meet in Windover Hall.

11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Lecture: Color in the Mixed Garden
Lubar Auditorium. $30/$25 Members
Tracy DiSabato-Aust, aka “The Queen of Deadheading” and author of The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, which has been referenced as “the bible for perennial maintenance,” has earned international acclaim as one of America’s most entertaining and knowledgeable garden writers and professional speakers.

11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Café Calatrava Garden Room in Windhover Hall
Serving soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts with a floral infusion.

Noon
Drop-in docent-led tours
Meet in Windover Hall. Free with general admission.

12:30-1:30 p.m.
Workshop: How to Design Your Perfect Cutting Garden
The Education Studio, upper level. $15/$10 Members
Craig Bergmann, president of Craig Bergmann Landscape Design, Inc. and award-winning landscape architect, offers a modern day twist on the romantic designs of the past. Sample cut materials and finished arrangements will provide spectacular examples of his recommendations on how to use hardy and tender plants.
Space is limited. Reservations required; call 414-224-3803.

2 p.m.
Drop-in docent-led tours
Meet in Windover Hall. Free with general admission.

2-4 p.m.
Lecture: In the Company of Flowers
Lubar Auditorium. $30/$25 Members
Ron Morgan, the most sought-after and well-recognized floral designer in the United States has dazzled lecture and Garden Club audiences for over twenty years with his knowledge, creative talents, and wit. Be on hand to watch and listen while Mr. Morgan transforms the ordinary into masterpieces. Call 414-224-3803 to purchase tickets.

3-4 p.m.
Workshop: Trendy Ways of Using Ornamental Wreaths
Quadracci Suite. $15/$10 Members
In the twenty-four years since Michael Beeck began making wreaths, his unique designs and style expanded into Otter Creek Landscape and Otter Creek Outdoor with nearly three hundred designs and projects annually. Wreaths will be available for purchase. Space limited; reservations required. Call 414-224-3803.

5:30-8:30 p.m.
Cocktails and Blooms: Art In Bloom After Hours
Windhover Hall. $65/50 Members
Celebrate the start of the gardening season with Cocktails and Blooms, a festive reception filled with strolling musicians, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and your exclusive opportunity to meet the floral experts behind Art In Bloom.  Reservations required. Call 414-224-3253.

Saturday, April 12

10 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

  • Collection galleries open with artwork-inspired floral displays.
  • People’s Choice Awards voting continues until 5 p.m. Ballots will be available for visitors to cast their votes for Best in Show, Best Creative Design, and Best Traditional Design.
  • The Baumgartner Galleria marketplace will offer furnishings for your own garden and home.
  • Art in the Yard will feature original outdoor garden sculpture handmade by regional artists. Hosted by the African American Art Alliance. All items will be for sale. Located in the Museum’s Schroeder Galleria.
  • Plein-air art raffle continues.

10 a.m.
Drop-in docent-led tours
Meet in Windover Hall. Free with general admission.

10-11 a.m.
Workshop:
Creating Plant Communities for Sustainable, Low Maintenance Landscapes
Northwestern Mutual Room. $15/$10 Members
A prominent speaker and writer on ecological landscaping and native plants, Roy Diblik grows 400,000 plants of 360 different species each year at Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington, WI.  Space limited; reservations required. Call 414-224-3803.

10:30 a.m.
Book Salon discussing The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
Quadracci Suite. Free with general admission.
Reservations required.  RSVP to museumstore@mam.org or call 414-224-3826.

10:30 a.m.
 Art Class-Mixing with the Masters: Georgia O’Keeffe
Education Resource Center. $25/$20 Member.
Bring your favorite adult along to explore the work of Georgia O’Keeffe in the Museum’s Collection galleries.   After taking a close look at her nature-inspired paintings in the galleries, We’ll create our own works of art using her unique style! Ages 4-8 with an adult caregiver. Space is limited. Call 414-224-3803.

11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Lecture: In the Company of Flowers
Lubar Auditorium. $30/$25 Members
Ron Morgan, the most sought-after and well-recognized floral designer in the United States has dazzled lecture and Garden Club audiences for over twenty years with his knowledge, creative talents, and wit. Be on hand to watch and listen while Mr. Morgan transforms the ordinary into masterpieces. (Repeat from Friday) Call 414-224-3803 to purchase tickets.

11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Café Calatrava Garden Room in Windhover Hall
Serving Soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts with a floral infusion.

Noon
Drop-in docent-led tours
Meet in Windover Hall. Free with general admission.

12:30-1:30 p.m.
Workshop: How to Construct a Rain Garden
Northwestern Mutual Room. $15/$10 Members
Milwaukee County horticultural agent Sharon Morrisey presents gardening and environmental information through the media and at public programs with the assistance of the UW-Extension Master Gardeners. An expert in a variety of garden topics, Ms. Morrisey presents a strong case for constructing rain gardens and will show you how to do it with results that inspire as well as conserve. Space limited; reservations required. Call 414-224-3803.

1-4 p.m.
Drop-in Activities for the Entire Family: Lois Ehlert
Pieper Education Gallery. Free with general admission.
Workshop with the children’s author and illustrator.

2 p.m.
Drop-in docent-led tours
Meet in Windhover Hall. Free with general admission.

2-3:30 p.m.
Sounds of Saturday
Lubar Auditorium. $10/$5 Members
René Izquierdo performs a selection of classical guitar solos and chamber works, with guests Elina Chekan, guitar, and Kurt Ollmann, baritone.

3-4:30 p.m.
Art in Bloom Mother-Daughter Tea
Bradley Rooms. $45/$40 Members.
Tea for Two (one child with one chaperone). Additional child $20.
Bring your favorite young lady (age 6 and above) and enjoy high tea in the elegant Bradley Rooms. Chief Educator Barbara Brown Lee will start with a tour of the Bradley Collections, followed by her “colorful” personal memories of how Mrs. Bradley designed and hosted guests in her private Museum suite. Specialty teas will be served along with dainty tea sandwiches and sweets. Tea for Two (one child with one chaperone) Reservations: Call 414-224-3803. Sponsored by Anaba Tea Room.

Sunday, April 13

10 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

  • Collection galleries open with artwork-inspired floral displays.
  • The Baumgartner Galleria marketplace offers furnishings for home and garden.
  • People’s Choice Awards tabulated and awards posted.
  • Plein-air art raffle concludes at 2 p.m. Drawing for winners at 2:30 p.m.

10 a.m.
Drop-in docent-led tours
Meet in Windover Hall. Free with general admission.

10 a.m.-11 a.m.
Workshop: How to Plant a Striking Container
The Education Studio, upper level. $15/$10 Members
With her photographer’s eye for detail, Zannah Crowe uses her background as a landscape architect and twenty years experience as a professional horticulturist at Monches Farm in Colgate, WI, to create striking containers. Space limited; reservations required. Call 414-224-3803.

11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Café Calatrava Garden Room in Windhover Hall
Serving Soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts with a floral infusion.

Noon
Drop-in docent-led tours
Meet in Windhover Hall. Free with general admission
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Workshop: Gardening with Native Wildflowers
The Education Studio, upper level. $15/$10 Members.
Wendy Walcott has a well-earned title as Director of Land Stewardship at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Bayside, WI. Ms. Walcott has been raising native plants from seed and has been developing her own wild plantings since 1980. Her presentation will include general principles of wildflower gardening. Space limited; reservations required. Call 414-224-3803.

1-4 p.m.
Lois Ehlert
Pieper Education Gallery. Free with general admission.
Workshop with childrens’ author and illustrator, Lois Ehlert.

2 p.m.

  • Drop-in docent-led tours.
  • A quartet from the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) performs chamber music selections. Bradley Galleries. Free with general admission.

2-3:30 p.m.
Lecture: The Gardening Husband: A Sport for Life
Lubar Auditorium. $30/$25 Members.
Currently the international editor of Better Homes and Gardens, Elvin McDonald’s editorial career included Traditional Home, and House Beautiful. His presentation will be an informative look at his thirty-year gardening relationship with socialite and gardening columnist C.Z. Guest.

3-4 p.m.
Workshop: How Do I Make My Cut Flowers Last in a Vase?
Northwestern Mutual Room. $15/$10 Members
Kitty Larkin will provide tips on growing flowers, the timing of cutting them, processing the cut flower, and using appropriate vases, containers, and other materials for a flower arrangement’s longer life. Ms. Larkin is an accredited flower show judge, in addition to being the past president of the National Garden Club Federation. Space limited; reservations required. Call 414-224-3803.

3-4.30 p.m.
Art in Bloom Mother-Daughter Tea
Bradley Rooms. $45/$40 Members.
Tea for Two (one child with one chaperone). Additional child $20.
Bring your favorite young lady (age 6 and above) and enjoy high tea in the elegant Bradley Rooms. Chief Educator Barbara Brown Lee will start with a tour of the Bradley Collections, followed by her “colorful” personal memories of how Mrs. Bradley designed and hosted guests in her private Museum suite. Specialty teas will be served along with dainty tea sandwiches and sweets. Tea for Two (one child with one chaperone) Reservations: Call 414-224-3803. Sponsored by Anaba Tea Room.

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