Art in Bloom 2016

You know spring is in the air when the Norwood Evening Garden Club invites Norwood residents and those from surrounding communities to its yearly Art in Bloom event. Haven’t heard of it before? Art in Bloom is a free community event that displays artwork generated by Norwood and Walpole High School students coupled with interpretative floral designs done by garden club members. Art in Bloom 2016 marks the 12th year of this collaboration.
The historic George H. Morse House, at 1285 Washington Street in South Norwood, will once again host this year’s Art in Bloom on Saturday, April 9, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Sunday April 10, 1-5 p.m.
“Seeing all this talent and beauty from the high school students and members of the garden club, all under our humble roof, is very rewarding,” Morse House Executive Director Dale Day said. “I look forward to it every year.”
According to Visual Arts Department Chair Laurie Mead-McGrory, the artwork from Norwood High School has been done by all of the students enrolled in Drawing and Painting III.
“Throughout the year, students study different styles and techniques of making art.” Mead-McGrory said. “Pieces included in this year’s exhibit include observational soft pastel fabric drawings, symbolic self-portraits and “painterly” landscapes.”
In the fabric drawings, students were required to study a still life of draping fabric hung from a wall, critically deconstruct what they saw and then reconstruct what they saw on a flat surface to create a sense of realism. For the symbolic self-portraits, students had to examine what made them unique and then create symbols to represent their personalities. Creating landscapes in a “painterly style” requires that the brushwork be visible to the viewer such as that created by Monet, VanGogh and Seurat.
Norwood High School student participants: Jordan Hatchett, Isabel Hurwitz, Joanna Keefe, Chloe Lundin, Gina Magliozzi, Ramael Robert, Kailee Robinson, Kara Zumbahlen, Rory Lake, Kayla Augenstene, Keri Augenstene, and Connor Brittan.
Walpole High School artists had a more diverse set of assignments from which to choose.
“We chose artwork from many different classroom assignments,” Walpole High School Visual Arts Department Head Sandy Allison said. “we hoped these selections would inspire the floral designers in creating their interpretive pieces.”
Walpole High School student participants: Participating Walpole High School artists include: Emily Schneider, Kayla Christy, Olivia Sheehan, Francesca Bonanno, Kristine Udahl, Mia Drummey, Courtney Knott, Macy Chutoransky, Kelli Celentano, Katy Langenhorst, Emily Mouradian, Elen Adamyan, Rema Boufaissal, Justin DeJesus and Anna Dyckes.
Some of the assignments the students had to choose from include, creating a page for a children’s alphabet book by creating a simplified image using only the letters of the object’s name; taking a detail from an architectural structure and making it the focal point of an abstract piece using color to create a mood; choosing a word that describes your personality and selecting a font, color, and composition that enhances the meaning of the word; recreating a road trip using mixed media and a real map to convey the memory and feelings of the day.
“All of the art is in hand and I’m thrilled with the variety of the pieces we’ve received for the exhibit,” Norwood Evening Garden Club Vice President and Chair of Art in Bloom Nancy Costa said. “The floral designs by Norwood Evening Garden Club members that accompany each piece of art will be amazing as well.”
All art pieces are assigned to garden club designers on a lottery system. Members include: AnnMarie Bielenin, Susan Cosman, Nancy Costa, Lorraine Devine, Martha Emerson, Tracy Firth, Lynn Fordham, Anne Heller, Barbara Hopcroft, Judith Howard, Penni Jenkins, Donna Lane, Vija Lincis, Kathleen Pellegrini, Ana Puzey, Julie Stenson, Janet Taylor, Sheela Venkatesh, Lois Walsh, Debbie Wells, and Wendy Wilhelm.
Costa said that many of the members do not consider themselves floral designers, but she believes that each year they put forth increasingly beautiful designs, “some of which are worthy of Boston MFA’s Art in Bloom after which the exhibit is patterned.”
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Norwood Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
A member of The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, New England Region, and National Garden Clubs, Inc., members of the Norwood Evening Garden Club have been providing education and public beautification in Norwood and its surrounding communities since 1996. The Club, open to novice and expert gardeners, draws its members from Norwood, Walpole, Westwood, Dedham, Medfield, Randolph, and Stoughton. For information about the Norwood Evening Garden Club, contact Susan Pearson at 508-668-4039 or visit www.NorwoodEveningGardenClub.com.
Donna Lane is a Norwood-based writer, lecturer and designer, and a founding member of the Norwood Evening Garden Club. You can reach Donna at AddictedGardener@verizon.net.