Despite the calendar’s notation that spring was here, our New England weather said otherwise. The Norwood Evening Garden Club’s annual Art in Bloom event, rather than the calendar, seemed to be the herald of spring this year. Nancy Costa, president of the Norwood Garden Club and chair of Art in Bloom, thinks it is always that way.
“I look forward to our Art in Bloom,” Costa said. “It says to me that spring has sprung.”
As a former teacher, Costa also loves talking with the student artists and their families and watching their reactions to the floral interpretations of their art.
April 8 and 9 provided bright, sunny days and a steady stream of visitors who came to view the garden club’s annual exhibit of artwork by Norwood and Walpole high school students, accompanied by complementary floral arrangements by club members and invited guests. The George H. Morse House once again hosted the exhibit. Dale Day, Morse House Executive Director, and an enthusiastic supporter of Art in Bloom since its inception impressed with the work displayed.
“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," Day said. "I look forward to it every year.”
Patricia Artis, past president of the Wollaston Garden Club who has come to see the exhibit for the past five-plus years was equally enthusiastic.
“I know I say it every year, but the artwork and the arrangements just get better and better every year," Artis said.
This free community event, which is supported in part by a grant from the Norwood Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, continues to attract residents of Norwood and Walpole, but also draws a surprising number of people from other towns. Guests from Westwood, Stoughton, Sharon, Sudbury, Dedham, West Roxbury, Franklin, Medfield, Boston, Needham, Canton, Brockton, Plainville, Braintree, Norfolk, Wellesley, Quincy and Southborough came to see this year’s exhibit.
This is the 13th year the Norwood Garden Club has produced the Art in Bloom exhibit. Originally conceived by Ann Malachowski, former art director of the Norwood schools, and Donna Lane, founding member and former president of the garden club, the exhibit was patterned after the Museum of Arts’ Boston Art in Bloom.
Each year, students are given varying assignments from their art instructors. Lori Meade-McGrory, Norwood Visual Arts Department Chair, and Sandy Allison, Walpole High School’s visual arts department head, coordinated this year’s exhibit with the club. Each school has a different method of selecting student artwork, which ranges from self-portraits to landscapes, block prints, sculptures and still-lifes, among others.
Norwood artist Grace Appleyard said her assignment was to draw a unique facial expression. She chose her friend Nicole as her inspiration because of the distinct features of her face.
“I used pencil to sketch my outline and then added darks, lights, and smaller details," Appleyard said. "For the background, I lightly painted with purple shades of watercolors to make her hazel eyes pop.”
Walpole artist Danielle Borelli’s assignment, titled 'In The Light,' was quite different. She was to create a painting that was inspired by the integration of abstract, expressive and representational qualities found in the works of Edward Hopper, a prominent American realist painter and printmaker.
"[In The Light] shows the isolation of two individuals in a public setting who, although they share a brief moment in time together, are isolated, private and ephemeral," Borelli said.
Her artwork also shows the pattern light creates when it falls on an object. Her favorite floral arrangement?
“I like mine the best," Borelli said. "I think the arrangement really captures my artwork.”
Students who participated from Norwood High School were: Grace Appleyard, Isabella Antonitis, BettyVanessa Dorfeuille, Kirill Didychouk, Mercy Folan, Callie Heckmann, Christina MacKenzie, Janna Motomura, Nicole Power, Nora Senna, Rachel Watson and Erica Wong.
Walpole High School students selected to represent the school were: Danielle Borelli, Gianna Calisi, Kelly Cimeno, Emily Daniels, Ann Dolan, Brigid Ford, Allison Heiberger, Amanda Janowicz, Jenna McDonald, Kerri McLean, Olivia Moore and Jacquelyn Mulcahy.
Norwood Evening Garden Club members who provided floral designs include: Emmy Behlau, Norma Black, Shirley Booth, Susan Cosman, Nancy Costa, Tracy Firth, Judith Howard, Penni Jenkins, Donna Lane, Janice Mullen, Ana Puzey, Jim Schulz, Julie Stenson, Janet Taylor, Sheela Venkatesh, Lois Walsh and Debbie Wells. Ron Wight, owner of Silver & Sage Flowers in Norwood, and John Sexton of Village Arts & Flowers in Walpole were invited to participate as well.
Donna Lane is a Norwood-based writer, lecturer and designer. You can reach her at addictedgardener@verizon.net.