If it’s spring, it’s time for Art in Bloom at Anderson House! Anderson House is one of our favorite places for a wedding, but in 2022, they opened their doors to florist for a unique exhibition – Art in Bloom. In 1976, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston hosted the first Art in Bloom exhibition, challenging local florists and garden club members to design floral arrangements inspired by the museum’s art collection. Since then, the concept has spread to other arts institutions and cities. The Art in Bloom exhibition showcases the tremendous floral talent in Washington, DC as well as highlights the unique collection of art and architecture held by the museum.
We were tremendously honored to be chosen to be a participant for the inaugural DC event, and participated again in 2023! For our first artwork, we chose the six-pounder cannon. Created by James Byers of Champlain Cannon Works of Adirondack Machine Corporation in 1777. It is one of only ten marked American-made bronze cannons remaining from the Revolutionary War. For our piece, we sought to not simply embrace the beauty of flowers. Instead, our goal was to create an edgy, floral art installation interpretation to bring the battlefield to life. Smoke. Sparks. The blood and mud of the battlefield. Using a blend of painted gypsophila, bleached hydrangea, bleached ruscus and painted preserved bunny tails, finished with pools of fabric in shades of red and brown, the piece was an exercise in contrasts. The opacity and solidity of the cannon juxtaposed against the ethereal and smoky grays and whites with tiny sparks of red.
The next time around, we opted for the lintel above the front door. Inspired by the tone-on-tone feel of the facade, we used dried materials to echo the shapes and shadows of the front of the museum.
Be sure to visit the virtual site for more!
