The David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) will host its annual springtime fundraiser and exhibition Art in Bloom this weekend on May 20-21.
Saturday the museum will be open from 1 to 7 p.m. and Sunday they will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
This will be the eighth year of the exhibit.
“What we do is we find florists in the region who are willing to participate, we do pay them and we hire them for this project,” Rachel Buckmaster, associate director of the David Owsley Museum of Art said. “A fun thing is that they don't get to choose the artwork that inspires their flower arrangement. So we randomly pick our favorite things throughout the galleries and then they randomly are assigned a work [of art] that then they interpret with flowers.”
There are five artists who are showcasing works in Art in Bloom this year, each of them will be creating an interpretation of a work of art with flowers.
Audrey Scott of Normandy Flower Shop, located in Muncie, will interpret the “Portrait of a Florentine Lady” by Donenico and Valore Gasini.
Marnie Tupling of Wasson Nursery, located in Muncie, will interpret “Pythoness” by Alred Leslie.
Rebecca Geary of R. Geary Floral, located in LaOtto, will interpret “Gropu Portrait of Six Women as an Allegory of Love” by Anna Dorthea Lisiewska.
Becky Ruby-Wojtowicz of Lilly Lane Flowers, located in Indianapolis, will interpret “Crest Mask/Headdress” from the Ejahgam (Ekoi) people.
Sharon Grubbs from Foister’s Flowers, from Muncie, will interpret “Oribe Platter” by Higashida Shigemasa
Buckmaster said the DOMA will surprise them with the assignment and that the DOMA does not actually know what the artist is going to showcase until they set things up, so essentially the artist surprises them as well.
The five pieces that are up for interpretation are not picked randomly. Buckmaster said the advisory council and the staff think about pieces that are new each year, in different galleries and that the works are spread out around the museum so people experience the whole museum.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to be open to everyone,” Buckmaster said. “If someone visits once, they will come back. Sometimes it can be hard to get people to understand it's free and we are open to everyone. But once people do visit, I think they understand that it really is for everyone.”
The scheduling for events is as followed - presentations and activities scheduled are subject to slight changes.
Saturday, May 20
- Spencer Bethers on the piano in Sculpture Court from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m.
- Docent-led tours of the flowers are offered at 2 and 3:30 p.m.
- Paper flower-making workshop from 3 to 5 p.m.
- Reception in Recital Hall from 5 to 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 21
- An interlude with Dr. Seth Beckman on piano and Dr. Stephen Campbell at 1:30 p.m.
- Docent-led tours of the flowers are offered at 2 and 3:30 p.m.
- Bruno Theiss on piano from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m.
- Paper flower-making workshop from 3 to 5 p.m.
- A floral demonstration by Rebecca Geary at 4 p.m.
