The Swellesley Report

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Beyond Wellesley: garden clubs represent at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts exhibit

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The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) has once again, as it has for over 40 years, welcomed spring to Boston with its annual Art in Bloom exhibit. Over 50 garden clubs took on the challenge of creating art-inspired arrangements for the always-popular event, which runs through Monday, April 29. The exhibit planning takes all year, but the excitement really heats up at a meeting (attendance absolutely mandatory) in an MFA lecture hall on a cold day in March. At that time garden club members, some confident veterans, others nervous newbies, are directed to open the on-velope, please, to discover which work of art they have been assigned to interpret.

Flash forward to April. Damn, that went fast, but the garden clubs are ready. The art has been interpreted, and the arrangements are ready to roll. Forty-five minutes — and not one second more — before the Huntington Avenue doors open to all comers, the arrangers must lay down their clippers and cease all fluffing.  It’s show time.

I was among the unwashed masses who stormed the building mere minutes after the groups had put the finishing touches on their floral interpretations. There was nothing more the garden club members could do except go to the swanky breakfast the MFA put on for them and raise a glass of orange juice to each other. Cheers, garden clubs, and congratulations. Here are some pics of the event:

Art in Bloom, Wellesley Gardeners' Guild
Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild arrangers Sheila Olson and Laurie Roberts pulled quite an artistic coup. Their display is located in the Frida Kahlo exhibition with the Graciela Iturbide photos. Roberts said, “The floral arrangement is to represent the entire room of photos taken of Frida Kahlo’s used medical devices found in her bathroom. The photos are very dark and grotesque. We used a bathtub container to represent the “bathroom”, flat curly willows give the arrangement a chaotic feel and all of the flowers and succulents are indigenous to Mexico as are the flower colors. We obtained Hawthorn branches from Latvia with 1.5” thorns to represent Frida Kahlo’s lifetime of suffering. All in all, the arrangement is beautifully tragic and chaotic to represent Frida Kahlo.” Art in Bloom is included within Museum admission—$25 for adults and $23 for seniors and students age 18 and older. Admission is free for children 17 and under.
Art in Bloom, Wellesley Gardeners' Guild Artist Frida Kahlo contracted polio as a child, and at the age of 18 survived a near-fatal bus accident. was severely injured in a car crash. She had numerous surgeries throughout her life, and wore back braces and corsets to support her injured spine.
Art in Bloom, Wellesley Gardeners' Guild
Close-up of the Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild arrangement. Art in Bloom is presented by the MFA Associates, a group of dedicated volunteers who lead gallery tours and create the Museum’s flower arrangements throughout the year.
The Wellesley Garden Study Group put together this arrangement in the European Wing. The white lily, which is just about to bloom, echoes the marble of the sculptures and painting. I was in the galleries before the identifying placards were in place, so WGSG, please let me know who the arrangers are and I will update the post.
Close-up of the Wellesley Garden Study Group’s arrangement.
The Wellesley Hills Garden Club was assigned the silver teapot in the Early American Wing. Arrangers Donna Fessler and Johanna Murray’s choice of luxurious flowers echoes the formal parlors where the best of everything would be on display and in use to impress guests.

Hey, did I ever tell you about the time that Joan Minklei and I did Art in Bloom. Only ten times? I’m sure you need to read all about it again.

The Provisional Group of Weston Garden Club’s interpretation of the Sarcophagus of Kheper-Re. Arranged by Kristin Paige Schena and Michael Frenk Schuckel.
Another striking arrangement was that coupled with The Lamentation of Christ at the Tomb. The placard identifying the arrangers was not yet displayed.
La Japonaise (Camiulle Monet in Japanese Costume), by Claude Monet. The placard identifying the arrangers was not yet displayed.
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