Pedestal Floral Artist Inspiration Statements
Each of our Art in Bloom Pedestal Floral Artists has been assigned one specific piece of art from Mia’s permanent collection to interpret. These artworks are on display throughout the museum and viewable in Mia galleries. Meet these dedicated floral artists, see their artwork, and read in their own words how the piece inspired their floral design.
Pedestal Floral Artists by Last Name
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Thea Adams
Interpreting: Egret
Gallery: 239
Years of participation: 21
Ikebana International – Sogetsu School
From the PFA:
The weathered stump caught my eye! I imagine a weathered boat of feathery egrets gliding unobtrusively past the resting bird.
Paula A. Allan and Abbi A. Allan
Interpreting: Yellowtail, Blowfish, and Plum Blossoms
Gallery: 223
Years of participation: 20 and 7
From the PFA:
A snapshot of fish via a woodcut near Japan reflected in flowers.
Tatiana (Borg) Allen
Interpreting: Dear Diary—Never Since We Left Prague
Gallery: 376
Years of participation: 5 years
From the PFA:
It wasn’t my first choice, yet somehow I just knew I would get this one.
While I knew it would be challenging to interpret, I had this piece high on my list because the content deeply resonated with me. I had never seen it before the list for 2025 Art in Bloom pieces came out, and after I saw it, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The longer you look at it, the more symbolism you find.
From my point of view, at first glance, this painting appeared to be flat black and white, but in person you can see a band of pinky red, some yellow, green, and blue. The more I learned about this painting, the more I loved it. At first, these people were strangers who all looked alike to me. But after looking at it for just a few minutes, I began to get to know them. I realized they were all very different people with different objectives and viewpoints. The way I see it, the people on the left side are a family, a couple with two children. The second person from the left is the oldest child, and the only one who is aware of us, the viewer. They all seem to be killing time, waiting for something, as if maybe in transition or bardo. The two men are playing snakes and ladders, with the snake being more prominent than the ladder. On the right is a woman who has lost her husband, and in death has glorified him. She has not joined the families in their purgatory, but is very near them. She has the looking glass ready to view them, but perhaps has not yet. Her pink dress makes her seem more alive than the others at the table, yet she has one white arm, and one black, as if she has one foot in the now and one in the hereafter, which would stand to reason for a grieving widow.
The artist was a fascinating person, who was one of the last surviving participants in the surrealist movement of the 1930s. Carrington was also a founding member of the women’s liberation movement in Mexico during the 1970s. There is no card description at Mia for this piece, perhaps because I read the artist did not want her work interpreted.
However, there is a great deal more written about this painting on Mia’s website.
Sue Anderson
Interpreting: Rural Delivery (Where the Mail Goes, Cream of Wheat Goes)
Gallery: 301
Years of participation: 1
Jubilee Flower Studio
From the PFA:
Rural Delivery (Where the Mail Goes, Cream of Wheat Goes), but in this depiction it looks like Cream of Wheat arrived first and the wooden crate used for delivering the cereal is being resourcefully used as a mailbox. In the early 1900s, the mail service was still being established in rural America, and in some places, a reliable horse was the preferred vehicle for mail delivery.
My feelings of connection to this painting are familial and warm. My maternal grandfather was born in 1906, the year this painting was produced, and he was pleased to be a long-time employee of Cream of Wheat at the plant on Stinson Boulevard in NE Minneapolis. Grandpa spent time in the Dakotas as a young man; he had an affinity for horses and cowboys.
This painting is large in scale; the prairie and sky are empty, vast, and lonely. The sun is low and not warm; it bears a warning that daylight wanes. The horse looks patient but weary. Cream of Wheat and a letter from afar are perhaps the few pleasures of this hard life, embodying comfort and sustaining the soul in a duration of remote solitude.
To interpret Rural Delivery in flowers, I’m attempting to show the vastness of the prairie and sky through perspective to the horizon. Light blue delphiniums and white larkspur make up the far away sky, and earthtone carnations, reindeer moss, and scabiosa pods form the dirt and stone of the road. I’ve used dried scotch broom over burgundy button poms to create the color and texture of the prairie grass and give a nod to the grain.
Representation of the horse and rider is achieved through the use of color and texture. Coffeebreak roses and various dried materials and pods are used to show the velvet of horsehide and leather of the saddle and tack. White mini carnations and Siberian iris pods show the rider’s shirt and vest, and his hat is implied with a Mintolla pod.
The sun, mailbox post, and the whites of the rider’s arms and horse’s blaze all lead the viewer’s eye to the Cream of Wheat mailbox, the focal point of the painting. An open, almost gaping buddha pod is the mailbox, eager to receive any news from home or communication from the far away world.
The container was made using barnwood from my parent’s farm in west central Minnesota, where the horizon looms large. It’s another family connection, bridging life in the city to my rural roots and longings.
Flowers used are subject to change due to availability and the ongoing creative process.
Phyllis Andrews and Nancy Rand
Interpreting: Tatra T87 Four-door Sedan
Gallery: 379
Years of participation: 41 and 7
North Star Lily Society
From the PFA:
Who doesn’t love a silver sedan at an art museum! It always stops museumgoers for a longer look. We hope our love of lilies gives you the same wonder.
Susan Anose and Emily Anose
Interpreting: Cabinet
Gallery: 314
Years of participation: 1 and 1
From the PFA:
A mother-daughter power team takes on a Japanese-inspired cabinet that depicts flowers that don’t exist. We did our best to find the real-life counterparts of these flowers and capture the energy of the piece as a whole.
Emily: What a mystery! I tried to look for the types of flowers that could have actually have been painted on the cabinet, only to find that features such as pink receptacles on flowers don’t occur naturally. After a long period of playing detective, I finally found that I would have to find the real-life look-alikes to these fantastical plants.
Sue: What drew me to the piece in the first place was the high contrast of the values and colors. I also wanted to literally “frame” the piece with a gold frame to emulate the pattern on the original cabinet.
Ally Anthony
Interpreting: Initiation Mask
Gallery: 250
Years of participation: 3
Hy-Vee Floral, Cottage Grove
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Sue Bagge
Interpreting: Peach Blossom Spring
Gallery: 203
Years of participation: 41
Ikebana International Chapter 121
From the PFA:
The Chinese poet, Zhang Xiang, created the poem of Peach-Blossom Spring, where people live in harmony and happiness in the mountains as a refuge in the untouchable nature of this idyllic realm full of so much beauty being surrounded by peach blossoms, the stream, and mountains.
Debra Banks
Interpreting: Hat (Fez)
Gallery 242
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Mary Bejblik
Interpreting: Portrait of an Ecclesiastic
Gallery: 342
Years of participation: 9
From the PFA:
This painting depicts a person of the clergy, who represents the Christian faith. Proteas were chosen for the design to symbolize the strength, courage, and resilience all faith embeds in a person.
Barbara Belknap
Interpreting: Composition with Blue, Red, Yellow, and Black
Gallery: 377
Years of participation: 6 years
Cottagewood Garden Club
From the PFA:
Piet Mondrian developed his own brand of abstraction, reducing natural forms to clean, simplified geometric patterns. How fun to get to bring natural “floral” forms to his work!
My own artwork in cut paper (barbarabelknapdesign.com) is inspired by the color and patterns found in nature. My subject matter usually includes everyday figures in colorful, abstract settings. My work celebrates the beauty and order of the world. I feel connected to Piet Mondrian’s simplified form and pure color. I’m excited to explore his abstract world in a floral arrangement!
Lisa Berg
Interpreting: #26 Red Wing
Gallery: 303
Years of participation: 19
From the PFA:
Can you guess the inspiration for this very precise, geometric artwork? The answer might surprise you!
Charles Biederman (who abandoned the New York art scene to live in Minnesota!) loved nature, but he depicted it in a unique way, stripped to its most simplified and beautiful elements.
Early in his career, Biederman was a painter who studied Cézanne, Post-Impressionism, and Cubism before leaving realism for total abstraction. Later, he became interested in Constructivism (using industrial materials) and De Stijl (using rigid geometry and primary color schemes), two art movements that produced geometric, nonobjective images.
By 1937, Biederman’s work became more sculptural, going from painted wall panels to three-dimensional reliefs (such as this artwork) in which a grid of small, individual, brightly colored pieces appear to float freely against a backboard.
Biederman used protruding geometric shapes to create real shadows in his artwork. That way, depending on the light as well as where the viewer is standing, the work looks different. Biederman wanted you to move around and alter your point of view in order to see each artwork fully. He called his work New Art.
In 1941, Biederman married and moved to Red Wing, Minnesota, where he lived until his death in 2004. He wanted to be in a beautiful place where he could find inspiration in nature. What do you think he saw that inspired him to make this colorful work of New Art?
Paige Bosler and Wendy Lutter
Interpreting: Octo 4240 Lamp
Gallery: 378
Years of participation: 3 and 6
From the PFA:
We chose to mimic the elegant form of the lamp, sculpted by flowers with semi-flexible stems.
Robin C. Brown, Patty J. Flowers, and David W. Brown
Interpreting: Ceremonial Gate
Gallery: 217
Years of participation: 5, 4, and 3
From the PFA:
The Celebration Gate
A Tribute to Laboring
To love life through labor is to be one with the inmost passion of creation
The need to try
The need to build
The need to write, to sing, to sow
And labor is to draw upon the courage of hope
For a day yet to come
For joy shared with others, or joy in solitude
For a moment of peace, of reflection, to dream
And hope does not disappoint, but sits beside you in the evening
Whispering the desires of your heart
Offering strength to rise up again
To take hold of the plow handle, the boat oars, the hammer and chisel
For the farmer, the fisherman, the wood worker
Hope for a good year in the fields
Hope for a fruitful casting of a net upon the lake
Hope for what made by your hands will find value to others
For what is labor but the vision of the spirit, guided by the desires of the heart,
and brought to creation by the work of the body.
Monica Buller Cabral
Interpreting: Head
Gallery: 367
Years of participation: 8
From the PFA:
“I did not die, and yet I lost life’s breath,” Dante Alighieri. Explore with me “Modi’s” world.
It was a pleasure to investigate the art of Amedeo Modigliani, an artist whose work I have admired throughout my years involved in the world of art history. Familiar with his paintings, which were influenced by the ancient worlds of Greece, Rome, and Egypt.
He was a lover of women and their sense of style and held their intelligence to almost divine height.
His sculpture is not as well-known but produced during 1910–1914. This particular head was one of seven displayed in 1912 Salon D’Automn Paris.
Modi had spent one year with the Romanian sculptor Brancusi, where he became enchanted with Brancusi’s use of pure simplicity that revealed a sense of love and power. Modi also embraced the same sense of strength and tenderness in the Head you are viewing here in gallery 367.
The limestone dust in the studio became a strain on his lungs and aggravated his already present tuberculosis. He executed 27 heads in total. Several of them were to serve as caryatids holding up columns to be placed in a ritualistic circle, reminiscent of the amphitheaters of ancient Greece. These heads have a total absence of color, distancing them from this world and elevating them into another, transforming them into sacred objects with divine power.
Christy Campbell and Madeline Campbell
Interpreting: Silver and Green
Gallery: 351
Years of participation: 5
From the PFA:
Reflection: the morning light captured by the painter, a soft glow filters through onto girls lost in thought. The curtains filter the light, drawing your eyes to the way it floods the scene. A glass-filled breakfast table where two girls appear somewhat bored, not engaged with each other. One gazes at the gardens just beyond the window.
Some of the same table setting pieces and the girls appear in other Hilda Fearon paintings, many of which capture the subject of light.
We have a few glass items for reflection and attempt to mimic some aspects of the painting through the use of flowers and their textures.
How was the painter able to seize the fleeting morning light? Were the girls stuck posing and not allowed to go outside while the artist painted? What are they thinking about? Was this a special occasion or just an ordinary day? Why is it called Silver and Green when glass and white are predominant?
Lisa Hirst Carnes and Susan Ketcham
Interpreting: The Union of Love and Friendship
Gallery: 306
Years of participation: 4 and 2
From the PFA:
Our floral interpretation of The Union of Love and Friendship seeks to echo the tenderness, symbolism, and classical harmony found in Pierre-Paul Prud’hon’s allegorical masterpiece. In this arrangement, we bring together form, color, and texture to give botanical life to the painting’s central themes: love, friendship, and the sacred bond between the two.
At the heart of the piece is the embrace—represented by the intertwining, soft floral stems, the flowers delicate forms wrapping gently around one another to symbolize unity and trust. These blooms speak to the feminine presence of Friendship, whose calm grace anchors the composition in Prud’hon’s work. Surrounding them, sprigs of myrtle and olive nod to enduring connection and mutual devotion, longstanding symbols of both romantic and platonic affection in classical iconography.
Cupid, the embodiment of love, appears in this arrangement through the use of youthful, expressive elements—tender ranunculus, airy baby’s breath, and the subtle flicker of gold-dusted foliage. These lighter forms dance upward through the design, representing love’s spark, its vitality, its ability to overcome any obstacle, and its elevation of the soul, reminiscent of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.
To honor the allegory of sculpture and painting present in the work, we’ve drawn inspiration from the contrast between form and fluidity. Structural elements like twisted branches and silver-toned dried lotus pods evoke the permanence of sculpture, while cascading delphinium and painterly blooms—like peonies and lisianthus—celebrate the expressive movement of the painted surface. Together, they reflect Prud’hon’s mastery of visual storytelling and the dialogue between the tangible and the ephemeral.
This floral composition does not simply mimic the painting—it deepens it. It invites viewers to feel the softness of the embrace, to trace the lineage of myth through scent and shape, and to dwell in that liminal space where love and friendship become indistinguishable, blooming eternally in one another’s arms.
Deb Carpenter, Deb Nedden, Ann Cathcart, Bonnie Hector, and Carla Jefferson
Interpreting: The Comtesse d’Egmont Pignatelli in Spanish Costume
Gallery: 307
Years of participation: 3, 3, 1, 13, and 13
Minnesota Herb Society
From the PFA:
The original influencers, aristocrats in pre-revolution France.
This portrait’s setting, in the Comtess d’Egmont Pignatelli’s elegant salon (for which she was famous). Her dress, jewelry, and furniture is carefully curated to show her wealth, her fashionable sense of style, and her accomplishments. 18th century viewers were encouraged to admire and emulate her. The Comtess’ portrait exemplifies the chasm between the rich and poor in France before the Revolution. In it we see what the French aristocracy valued: material possessions, social position, family, and political connections.
It makes us wonder: What would we want to accompany us in our portraits? What in our lives do we value?
We value the serenity and calm of chamomile, the 2025 International Herb Association Herb of the Year, whose colors of white and yellow are echoed in this portrait.
Our interpretation includes chamomile, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria, hydrangea, eucalyptus, eryngium, roses, bay, rosemary, and lavender.
Amy Chapman
Interpreting: Urn
Gallery: 300
Years of participation: 10
From the PFA:
This information is part of an article about George Washington Maher, designer of Urn. It’s from Unified Vision: The Architecture and Design of the Prairie School.
“Above the central doorway of Rockledge, Maher used a flattened arch, a commanding architectural element that echoed the solidity of the bluffs looming just behind the house. He adopted the tiger lily, abundant at the site, as a motif for decorations within the house. Maher’s “motif-rhythm” theory took the idea of a unified interior, as practiced by Wright, Purcell, Elmslie, and other Prairie School architects, a step further. He believed that repeating a few motifs consistently throughout the house, so that one was surrounded by them, would make the home—and, therefore, the inhabitants’ lives—harmonious.
Because the Kings were among his wealthiest clients, Maher designed lavish interior details and nearly every object that would be used at Rockledge. The flattened arch and the tiger lily were the prevailing interior architectural motifs.”
Sommer Collins and Ivy Collins (apprentices of Sandy Collins)
Interpreting: Green Tara
Gallery: 255
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
We are excited and grateful to be part of this wonderful PFA community. It’s very special how Mia engages the community in appreciating and engaging with the artwork in a multisensory manner. What a gift to give many diverse backgrounds, a chance to showcase their creative artistry.
Diane Cunningham
Interpreting: Tyiwara Headcrest
Gallery: 250
Years of participation: 20
From the PFA:
Adding some color to this ceremonial headdress.
Namrata Damle and Brett Cornforth
Interpreting: Portrait of Lucia Wijbrants
Gallery: 309
Years of participation: 5 and 1
From the PFA:
The beautiful gown and vibrant tablecloth are the focal points, but you can’t forget about the little dog!
Amy DeCook
Interpreting: Seated Girl (Fränzi Fehrmann)
Gallery: 371
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
Ode to Fränzi
In vibrant hues, a girl reclines,
Red dress ablaze, a bold design.
Kirchner’s brush, a fearless hand,
Captures spirit, understands.
Green sleeves whisper, secrets keep,
While dark hair flows, in slumber deep.
Her gaze, a mystery untold,
In colors bright, a story bold.
A vibrant scene, a moment caught,
Expressionistic, finely wrought.
Her form and grace, a timeless plea,
For beauty seen, eternally.
For you, my friend, this art I share,
A vision bright, beyond compare.
Wendy Dehkes
Interpreting: Nothing Is Eternal
Gallery: 259
Years of participation: 5
From the PFA:
Hello, I’m Wendy, an amateur floral artist who loves Art in Bloom. It’s my fifth year, and I’ll share that this my most challenging piece I’ve attempted.
Welcome to Nothing is Eternal, 2017, by Jeffrey Gibson.
Jeffrey Gibson, is the first Indigenous artist to be chosen to represent the United States with a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale, which is considered the Olympics of the Art World.
My floral choices could include yellow and red branches, pussy willows, celosia, chrysanthemums, blue eryngium, hydrangeas, and daisies.
I’m excited and nervous and hope that whatever I do inspires. Thank you.
Letti Delk
Interpreting: Mask
Gallery: 250
Years of participation: 14
From the PFA:
The mask was used in ceremonies performed to command authority, administer justice, and detect wrongdoers. This mask is encrusted with teeth, fur, human hair, and countless protuberances resembling horns or tusks. My design uses fresh plant material to indicate shapes, rhythm, and balance found in the mask.
Beth Dietz and Kris Gendreau
Interpreting: Cloisonné Altarpiece
Gallery: 214
Years of participation: 5
From the PFA:
As you can see, the museum does not have much specific information on this beautiful work of art, only that it’s from 18th century China. So we thought we would add a little historical perspective, a bit about cloissoné technique, and the use of an altarpiece in general.
The art of Cloissoné is the technique of creating designs on a metal object. Individual “compartments” (cloison, in French) are created on the object using wire of various metals, including gold or silver in fine pieces. The individual compartments are filled with a colored glass paste, which is then fired in a kiln. The paste material shrinks when it is fired; therefore, the process has to be repeated a number of times. The surface is then rubbed until the individual wires and compartments are revealed.
The cloisonné technique first came to China in the 13th to 14th century, likely from the Middle East. At first, it was looked down upon as being too foreign or too feminine. Gradually the emperor’s artists began to work with the technique, and it became more accepted. The 18th century, during the Qing Dynasty, was a time of stability and prosperity, as well as cultural and artistic achievement, which also allowed for the advancement of different art forms. Chinese cloisonné is known for the striking blue color seen in this piece.
An altar piece, such as this was meant to be placed on an altar, as you might imagine. The altar could be in a home or temple. Portraits or scrolls of ancestors were placed over the altar, and the items placed on the altar table would serve to honor and remember those ancestors. A piece as ornate as this would also serve as a display of the wealth or of the status of the household.
We were drawn to this piece by its stunning, bright colors. Our interpretation will likely be somewhat literal, as we have done in past years. We hope to include individual “cloison”, and will look for these gorgeous colors. The top flower calls out to be a king protea, or hydrangea.
Moira Donovan
Interpreting: The Gamblers
Gallery: 312
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
This painting has been one of my favorites for years, with it being commonly depicted over the years for AiB. When I see this painting, I can easily imagine either friends, or even siblings, arguing over the rules of the game and who owes what to whom.
I don’t read into this painting the animus others have in the past, with the elder gentlemen’s hand on his sword. I guess I simply see it as a comfortable place to rest his hand, while they settle the rules.
I enjoy the colors and the imagined setting of this painting. Which is why I chose to use vibrantly colored flowers, as well as more ‘robust’ flowers, to represent the obvious masculine element of the painting. I imagine this card game taking place outdoors, in a rustic setting, so I leaned away from delicate, exotic flowers and engaged more with pastoral flowers.
Jane Doyle and Kimm Schneider
Interpreting: Half-circle Stained Glass Window
Gallery: 362
Years of participation: 4 and 4
From the PFA:
We were drawn to the symmetry and colors of the stained glass window.
Mary Dratz
Interpreting: Coat of Arms of Cardinal Scipione Borghese
Gallery: 330
Years of participation: 2
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Mary Ellen Elliott
Interpreting: High-back Side Chair
Gallery: 378
Years of participation: 9
Richfield Garden Club Council, Sunflower Chapter
From the PFA:
Flowers: Tea roses, long-stemmed red rose, from his rose design, the “Macintosh rose,” Eryngium blue thistle, hypernicum, ferns, purple statice, lisianthus, curly willow, and baby’s breath, among others.
The Chair and the Tea Room—the Backstory:
In the late 1890s, Glascow, Scotland, had very few public places where a ladies’ group, young artists, or young couples could relax in the afternoon with a cup of tea and sandwiches, apart from the raucous, alcohol-filled street corner pubs of the time. Entrepreneur Catherine Cranston (“Miss Cranston”) saw this need and set out to fill it. She hired the young Glascow architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh to design the interior of a small restaurant that would serve tea and sandwiches, not alcoholic beverages. The result was the Argyle Street Tea Room, one of four tea rooms she managed.
Mackintosh and his artist wife Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh chose the then-popular art nouveau style for the rooms. They filled them with Arts and Crafts-inspired furniture, such as this chair, stained glass windows in the same design, and art nouveau decoration. These curvilinear, natural forms brought a feeling of nature and grace to the rooms.
But why such an elongated oak chair? It actually doesn’t look very comfortable to sit in. But when six to eight of these were grouped around a table in a large hall, they created a versatile, smaller, more intimate area for conversation, almost like a small room. A place where tea and a sampling of delicious baked goods could be enjoyed. Miss Cranston’s tea rooms became very popular, and one, the Willow Tea Room, still exists.
Diane Enge
Interpreting: Selva Blanca
Gallery: 374
Years of participation: 24
From the PFA:
Viewing Selva Blanca in the gallery, I was wowed! It easily drew me in to be immersed in this awesome work. The scale, colors, and details are incredible. This family portrait of fiber artists Chiachio & Giannone (shown as the costumed monkeys) and beloved dog,took three years to complete. They created an embroidered universe where textile celebrates diversity and family. “Painting” with threads and creating the colorful fantasy floral, which contrasts the white hidden jungle creatures. As you look, they seem to magically appear. I used tropical floral, branches, and various design techniques to compliment this textile masterpiece.
Gracias for viewing and enjoy your visit to Mia’s Art in Bloom.
Katherine Enge
Interpreting: Jar with Phoenix Among Clouds
Gallery: 206
Years of participation: 7
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Abi Englund
Interpreting: Temptation
Gallery: 357
Years of participation: 1
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
This beautiful piece has been a favorite of mine at Mia for many years. The rich color and light captured my attention immediately.
Many believe this painting to be a representation of Eve speaking to herself as a toddler, informing her of the temptation of The Apple, which inevitably leads to her “loss of innocence” or as some believe, her awakening.
In my floral representation, I used similar flowers in different sizes to represent Adult and Child, and a unique protea to represent the infamous apple. The flowers I chose represent beauty, purity, fertility, and rebirth. The protea represents courage and transformation.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in Art in Bloom for the first of hopefully many years to come.
It is an honor to interpret such a beautiful piece.
Denese Erickson
Interpreting: Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva in the Water-Moon Form (Shuiyue Guanyin)
Gallery: 200
Years of participation: 19
Minnesota Peony Society
From the PFA:
The Minnesota Peony Society is pleased to sponsor this floral interpretation of the Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva in Mia’s 41st celebration of art and flowers. We can’t imagine a better place to share our love of peonies than Art in Bloom!
This is the Minnesota Peony Society’s 13th year of AiB participation. Our Pedestal Floral Artist this year is MPS member, Denese Erickson. Art in Bloom visitors that may wish to learn more about gardening with peonies are invited to visit our website: mnpeony.org. Check out our Resources/Handouts page for downloadable peony culture information and don’t miss our Calendar of Events. Many of our educational meetings are open to the public and free. At our fundraising peony auction in September, you will find freshly harvested peony roots shared by our members and also supplied by the best peony growers and hybridizers in the United States. This is an exciting botanical event for folks who want to add new, and hard-to-find peonies to their landscape. It is scheduled to be held at Bachman’s Heritage Room at 6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, on September 28, 2025. For more information visit our website which will be updated as the event draws near. MPS membership information is also available on our website.
Another wonderful resource for peony culture information is the American Peony Society: americanpeonysociety.org. Their website contains excellent peony information. This year the American Peony Society is pleased to hold its annual convention and flower show in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, June 11–15. Their peony flower show floor is free and open to the public on June 14–15. From historical peony favorites to newly named and registered cultivars, an APS flower show is a fragrant and visual delight.
The Minnesota Peony Society hopes to see you at one of our future events—be sure to tell us that Mia’s “Art in Bloom” sent you!
Heather Feather
Interpreting: Mask
Gallery: 260
Years of participation: 13
Arte De la Flor – Custom Floral Designs (Owner/ Designer)
From the PFA:
The study of archeology, ancient civilizations, and their handicrafts have been my lifelong passion. Which is the reason I chose this piece. The incredibly sophisticated craftsmanship that went into making this mask out of stone using primitive tools possibly over 2,000 years ago is mind blowing.
I layered florals, spirals of greenery, and other natural elements reminiscent of the dense jungle and its abundance of diverse plant species. I also included black lava rock to incorporate the element of stone, which the mask is made of. I hope my design transports viewers to the lush and captivating jungles where the Maya have flourished for thousands of years and still thrive to this day.
Madison Feather
Interpreting: The Union of England and Scotland
Gallery: 313
Years of participation: 7
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Rachael Finglovsky
Interpreting: Portrait of Sarah Allen
Gallery: 305
Years of participation: 5
From the PFA:
Sarah Allen’s confident direct gaze captures one’s attention while being restrained and elegant, just as flowers often do.
Sarah Flynn
Interpreting: Saint Martin and the Beggar
Gallery: 343
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
The bright red of Saint Martin’s attire and cloak first caught my eye. This striking shade of red reminds me of the beauty of Saint Martin’s act of charity. While Saint Martin shared his cloak with a beggar that cold night, later Christ reveals that it was He to whom Saint Martin showed compassion. Inspired by red, I aim to use my flower arrangement to show the majesty of Christ hidden in every human encounter.
Barbara Foss and Timothy Foss
Interpreting: 2008, 08-F
Gallery: 224
Years of participation: 13 and 13
Ikebana International – Ichiyo School
From the PFA:
Kitamura Junko epitomizes precision and patience in her stoneware work. Using tiny bamboo tools, which she carves herself, she creates geometric patterns reminding us of constellations. Timothy Foss, ceramic artist, created the pieces I used in my floral interpretation with wavy and global shapes enhanced by an ethereal celadon glaze, which complement (but don’t intend to copy) Junko’s work. I honor this stoneware with bamboo and flowers selected for their finite and precise structure.
Elizabeth M. Franklin and Celeste, Charles, and Marcella Schumacher
Interpreting: Telemachus and Eucharis
Gallery: 310
Years of participation: 14, 14, 14, and 14
Edina Garden Council and Kelodale Garden Club
From the PFA:
The color story of Telemachus and Eucharis tells a tale of its own. White flowers are often associated with innocence and purity; yellow flowers with warmth, friendship, and joy. Red is a color of passion. It can be a symbol of sacrifice and courage. Telemachus chooses duty—the search for his father Odysseus—by leaving his love, Eucharis, behind. Roses (love), anemones (fragility, sincerity), and feverfew (inner strength) are used in the floral arrangement.
Jo Franklin, Julie Zdenek, Pam O’Hara, Mary Kay Bougie, Emily Zdenek, Devon O’Hara, Megan DeMaris, and Kira DeMaris
Interpreting: The Annunciation
Gallery: 341
Years of participation: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, and 1
From the PFA:
In this floral arrangement, we honor our mother and grandmother, Ruth Hansen. Her spirit of joy, laughter, and zest for life shines through. Each flower represents a different aspect of her remarkable life.
A tribute to her gift of entertainment, the bright, bold colors and asymmetrical design symbolize how she truly lit up a room with surprises and hospitality. Her appreciation for art, both ancient and modern, is represented with her love for vibrant reds and Norwegian blues.
Full of faith, Ruth was a passionate scholar and teacher of Biblical history and archaeology. This floral arrangement, based on the ancient stained glass of The Annunciation, reflects her spirituality, not only through teaching and learning, but also through choral conducting. Soft, serene tones remind us of the many Magnificats (choral works based on the Annunciation) she would have directed through her career.
Her picture window, depicting a work of art, painted yearly at Christmas, captured her creative and artistic spirit, just as her floral bouquets and arrangements touched every daughter’s and many granddaughters’ weddings. The deep blue glass bowl and the blue in Mary’s dress reminds us of the Hebron glass brought home from the 21 study tours she led to the Holy Land. This floral tribute is a reflection of the love, wisdom, and vibrancy Ruth Hansen shared with all who knew her.
Lilia Fremling
Interpreting: Portrait of Anna Blocken
Gallery: 312
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
I am honored to design and create for Art in Bloom for my second year. I have thoughtfully chosen some of my favorite flowers to include in this floral recipe. I aim for movement, depth, and texture in my designs.
I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me as an artist. Floral design is my favorite medium, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to display my work here at the Mia.
I would like to dedicate this piece to all fellow survivors. You are capable of great things in this life. Follow your dreams and when you start believing in yourself, your art may just end up in a museum someday. I hope this piece inspires you and you enjoy the beauty and magic that flowers bring here at the museum today and everyday.
@lilia.in.bloom
Kristi Gauvin and Merodie Peterson
Interpreting: Leggings
Gallery: 261
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
The beauty of the Native beading is highlighted by the black velvet backdrop. We wanted to highlight that beauty in our piece with a black backdrop, which allows the colors and texture of the highlighted flowers to pop. We used the surrounding art in the exhibit to be additional inspiration as the colors and themes accentuate the beauty of the beadwork in the leggings.
Personal inspiration came from my daughter, who is Native American and did a photo shoot recently that was about bringing the traditional into the modern era—respecting the culture and heritage while embracing modern themes. This is what our piece strives to do.
Becky Haaf
Interpreting: Platform Rocking Chair
Gallery: 301
Years of participation: 6
From the PFA:
I was drawn to this piece because of the dramatic, sweeping lines from the horns. I also like the repurposed use of horns in functional esthetic furniture. This was a challenge to find flowers and plants that have that sweeping lines of the horns. I chose veronica, seeded eucalyptus, rumex unicorn, and mini calla lilies. The flowers representing the animal print are alstroemeria and mini roses.
On closer look, I noticed that the animal hide used is an ocelot, Texas ocelot specifically. The Texas ocelot is an endangered animal. I felt extreme conflict! The question of how should we judge art from the past when people saw the world differently? And should we display and even admire it or condemn it?
I decided to pay my respects to the Texas ocelots. There are less than 100 in southern Texas and Mexico. They live near South Padre Island. There is a sanctuary in that area that gives them the natural habitat they need. The Ocelot is very shy and hard to spot in the wild; most are seen with trail cameras. They are beautiful creatures!
Stephanie Hagen and Maria Brosofske
Interpreting: Courtyard, Casa del Chapiz
Gallery: 355
Years of participation: 1 and 1
From the floral artists:
Sargent’s mastery of light and shadow using an alla-prima technique lends itself perfectly to interpretation through flowers. As you look closely at the painting, this is a seemingly unremarkable subject with a muted palette, but as you step back, it comes to life with light and depth. Every brushstroke had intention and purpose, to bring in light, recreating the atmosphere and giving an impression of the day it was painted.
When creating a floral piece, each element is intentional, yet fleeting, an inspiration to reflect an atmosphere that will transform with time. As with light, the bloom too fades, leaving you with an impression of the light and life that once was.
Kathleen “Kat” Hanson
Interpreting: Candlestand of a Crane on a Long-tailed Tortoise
Gallery: 220
Years of participation: 19
Richfield Garden Club
From the PFA:
This is a Buddhist candlestick with a crane, turtle, and lotus motif. The story of crane and turtle who went to the opposite bank to get light because it was too dark to listen to the Buddha’s teachings. The turtle’s fire is extinguished by the waves, and the crane’s fire is extinguished by flying into the sky. So, the crane took the fire and climbed onto the turtle’s back, and they returned safely.
The Buddha’s teaching is that we should all work together to solve problems. The crane and the turtle are also symbols of longevity.
Tricia Hardy
Interpreting: Fuji Thistle
Gallery 239
Years of participation: 9
Hardy Floral, Events, and More
From the PFA:
I wanted to try a different genre then I normally do. As I began to look at the Asian pieces, the Fuji Thistle spoke to me with the soft colors, movement, and lines.
Melanie Harer
Interpreting: Caviar Server
Gallery: 379
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
The caviar server housed at Mia is a remarkable example of early 20th-century European decorative arts. Crafted in 1905 by French artist Jules Auguste Habert-Dys, this piece embodies the Art Nouveau style, renowned for its organic forms and intricate detailing.
Resembling a long-legged creature poised to move across a tabletop, the server features blue enamel flower clusters that are hinged, allowing the cap to be removed. Inside, a metal tube designed to hold caviar sits atop a pin, creating space beneath for crushed ice to keep the delicacy chilled. The tube is lined with gold, chosen for its non-reactive properties to prevent caviar from spoiling. The egg-shaped design alludes to its contents—fish eggs—and evokes the opulent Russian Imperial Fabergé Easter eggs that gained acclaim at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
This unique piece not only showcases the luxurious dining customs of its era but also reflects the artistic innovation of the Art Nouveau movement, blending functionality with exquisite artistry.
Lois Ann Helgeson
Interpreting: Guardian Lions
Gallery: 208
Years of participation: 23
From the PFA:
Guardian lions, also known as Foo dogs, represent strength, courage and royalty, often associated with imperial power and divine protection.
Lori Helmen
Interpreting: Pair of “Chrysanthemum” Candelabra
Gallery: 350
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
The art nouveau style (1880–1910) popular when these candelabra were designed, reflecting the unruliness of nature, inspired this chrysanthemum arrangement.
Mary Kay Herman
Interpreting: Ear Spool
Gallery: 260
Years of participation: 6
From the PFA:
My Art in Bloom journey began with an historical adventure and the study of the Chimu people. I then learned about the Aat piece itself and the flora of the region. My art piece assignment is Ear Spool, or something we would call earrings today. They show a chief and his monkey helpers wearing magnificent attire and headwear. The dramatic clothing and headdresses depicted on the ear spools could have been made of gold or feathers or sea shells and precious gems. The gold was very valuable and much like a currency of today. The red shells were crushed and strewn ahead of the chief. Was this the first red carpet perhaps? I tried to incorporate the beauty of the Peruvian landscape to represent the magnificent chief and his monkey helpers. Hope this helps you take your own AiB adventure back in time.
Meg Hillary
Interpreting: Wooded Hillside With a Vista
Gallery: 311
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
Shelter in a looming forest far from the madding crowd.
Jennifer Hindbjorgen
Interpreting: Lokapala Guardian Kings
Gallery: 207
Years of participation: 8
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Julie Holland
Interpreting: The White Bridge
Gallery: 323
Years of participation: 14
From the PFA:
I’m inspired by the bright green colors in the painting, plus the beautiful frame.
Christine Hottinger
Interpreting: The Coaci Inkstand and Case
Gallery: 322
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
Pope Pious VI reigned from 1775 (US-Battles of Lexington and Concord) to 1799 (FR-Coup de 18 Brumaire). In 1786 he took an obelisk from the mausoleum of Roman Emperor Augustus and made a nice little square to look upon from his palace. Augustus had founded the Roman Empire. A decadent plunder set stunningly in silver here, still standing in Piazza del Quirinale in Rome.
Trân Huỳnh
Interpreting: Almost Symmetric
Gallery: 226
Years of participation: 4
Ikebana International – Sogetsu School
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Heaven Iman and Traci Webb
Interpreting: Moon Jar
Gallery: 206
Years of participation: 2 and 2
From the PFA:
Initially inspired by the moon and color white. Korean origins and Korean popular culture became more my focal point.
Lauren Inserra
Interpreting: Woman’s Robe
Gallery 240
Years of participation: 5
From the PFA:
I was inspired by the movement and shapes within the robe and the challenge of having a limited color palette.
Noriko Ishida
Interpreting: Woman’s Coat
Gallery: 240
Years of participation: 25
Ikebana International – Sogetsu School
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Sally Johnson and Carol Michalicek
Interpreting: Haniwa of a Female Shrine Attendant
Gallery: 205
Years of participation: 6
From the PFA:
The sculpture, Haniwa of a Female Shrine Attendant, represents the ancient practice of the ‘miko’, young women shamans who attended the funeral practices of Japan. In the Shinto tradition, these young women were believed to have a special sense of spirituality housed in their purity allowing them to bridge the path between this world and the eternal world. While over time their status was usurped by the males in the tradition, they still continue to attend to families of the deceased offering prayers and blessings to visitors.
We can imagine their message to the families, visitors, and to the departed:
I will walk with you.
Carrying the memory of your living.
Holding out the cares you poured into the world.
I will walk with you.
Shepherding your legacy,
placing it into waiting hands, grieving hearts.
I will walk with you.
My herbs resting gently by my side
Their fragrance still lingering on your body.
I will walk with you.
Be the presence that accompanies you
As you make your home
in the world invisible to our eyes,
the one to which our hope clings.
I will walk with you.
Bearing your ashes laced with salt-rich tears
of those left behind to mourn,
to remember.
Know this…I will walk with you.
Dennis Kelner
Interpreting: The Harvest, Roman Countryside
Gallery: 355
Years of participation: 7
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Angie Koebler
Interpreting: Processional Image of a Large Swan (Velya Annam) / Divine Bird
Gallery: 211
Years of participation: 9
DeerScare
From the PFA:
The swan, or hamsa in Sanskrit, symbolizes purity, grace, knowledge, and spiritual wisdom. Those who have attained great spiritual capabilities are called Paramahamsa, “Supreme Swan”. https://allmylinks.com/angie-koebler
Barbara Kramer
Interpreting: Lake Superior Landscape
Gallery: 323
Years of participation: 17
From the PFA:
Similar to George Morrison, I’m drawn to nature for the beauty, mystery, and peace that it brings to us. His choice of bold colors, strong lines, subtle textures, and abstract forms used to interpret natural scenes intrigue me. In my interpretive response I chose flowers that would echo these aspects—a micro version of his macro vision. Pincushion protea, roses, orchids, delphinium, willow, and various greens depict this painting with horizontal lines, textured layers, and jewel tones.
Amy Kubas
Interpreting: Egret in Rain
Gallery: 238
Years of participation: 8
From the PFA:
An omen of prosperity, innocence, purity, and persistence.
Carol Kuschke and Georgia Heisserer
Interpreting: Bust of General Guillaume Brune
Gallery: 322
Years of participation: 4
University of Minnesota Women’s Club
From the PFA:
This sculpture conveys the inner strength and fine details of the general. Our monochromatic, textured materials convey his positive presence.
M. Kutcher
Interpreting: The Element of Water
Gallery: 340
Years of participation: 4
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Ronald G. Kvaas and Beth Oelke
Interpreting: Cupboard
Gallery: 304
Years of participation: 6 and 6
Lake Owasso Garden Club
From the PFA:
A Norwegian bride’s prized kitchen possession. The floral display emerges from the cupboard door revealing nature’s color and beauty.
Kristin Langerud, Mary Langerud, and Nike Alade
Interpreting: Woman Making a Flower Arrangement
Gallery: 237
Years of participation: 8, 8, and 8
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Darwin Lee and Jennifer LeDoux
Interpreting: Portrait of a Boy
Gallery: 304
Years of participation: 1 and 1
Fleurs de Lee
From the PFA:
There is a quiet poetry in the way the roses bloom—fragile, tender, full of promise of youth—while the honeysuckle clings steadfastly to the pillar, a symbol of endurance. Yet, all is not as it seems. The storm gathers on the horizon, its dark weight pressing upon the scene, and the boy’s solemn gaze speaks volumes, as though he already senses the sorrow creeping in. I find myself drawn to the unspoken sadness here the heaviness of a burden that is too great to name. The loss of a child—sorrow beyond words—seems to haunt this moment, whispered through the contrast between the delicate flowers and the brooding sky. It is as if nature itself mourns, caught between the sweetness of life and the certainty of loss. In this stillness, I feel the fragile beauty of a fleeting life and the aching strength it leaves behind.
Lucy Lee
Interpreting: Crucifixion
Gallery: 340
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
What do you see?
I see stairs, a way to heaven through Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, “the Lord [says] to Moses, ‘Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, [they] will recover.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and [they] looked at the bronze snake, [they] recovered.”
—Numbers 21:8–9
The Israelites looked to a snake on a pole as a way of healing from poisonous venom. We look to the Savior on the cross to heal us from the poison of sin. That’s why I think the Virgin Mary and John appear to be happy while standing next to Jesus, who is in pain. Jesus is suffering unbearable pain for all of us and our sins so that we can one day join him as citizens of heaven.
After having this thought, I began to see Jesus’ ribs and the pattern of the Virgin Mary Mother’s clothing as an ascending staircase. I want to believe in Jesus’ love and humility, just like Mary did, and climb towards heaven. One step at a time.
Stefanie Levi, Atzin Dávila Luinenburg, and Izel Dávila Luinenburg
Interpreting: Patchwork Vase
Gallery: 376
Years of participation: 7, 7, and 7
From the floral artists:
We are so excited to represent Archimede Seguso’s masterful zanfirico—(also called “vetro a retorti”)—techniques in this patchwork glass vase! If you look up the biography of the artist and his family and the history of glass making everywhere—but particularly in Murano, Venice, Italy, you will learn fascinating things! How many generations back the Seguso family goes as inventive glass artists in the Murano community and even the etymology of Archimede’s first name—which led us to learn about the Ancient Greek polymath, Archimedes of Syracuse, Sicily.
The history of people making glass: in ancient times glass was thought to be a metallic substance. Alchemy. Chemistry. Metallurgy.
We are using millefiori design with many types of blossoms to represent this zanfirico piece; transposing its vertical geometry into our horizontal one. At the time of this writing, here are the flowers we will experiment with for best results:
Pink—Wax Flower
Blood red—James Storee Orchid, Kangaroo Paw
Scarlet— Solomio, Snapdragon
Orange—Snapdragon
Yellow—Kangaroo Paw, Freesia, Snapdragon
Light blue—Tweedia
Deep blue—Delphinium, Agapanthus
Purple—Kangaroo Paw
White—Feverfew, Dusty Miller
Silver/Blood red—Pussy Willow
Lori Lippert
Interpreting: Patio in Sitges
Gallery: 355
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
The painting’s use of shape and mass inspired my design, featuring blocks of color in the same (gorgeous!) palette.
Myrna Little
Interpreting: The Singer Su Xiaoxiao
Gallery: 203
Years of participation: 7
Ikebana International – Ichiyo School
From the PFA:
A somber singer searching for the renewal of spring inspires a melodious marriage of bamboo and blooms.
Donna Lovell
Interpreting: Manchu Woman’s Unofficial Informal Vest
Gallery: 217
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
I envision the woman who wore this vest to be elegant but not ostentatious, refined—with a touch of whimsy.
Mattie Lufkin
Interpreting: The Archangel Michael
Gallery: 330
Years of participation: 3
Avonlea Floral Art, Protea Designs,@designsbymazzi
From the PFA:
I first read about Archangel Michael in Lorna Byrne’s book Angels in My Hair. Byrne is an Irish mystic who lives in Ireland and has been seeing and speaking to angels since early childhood. Growing up in a poor and rural part of Ireland, she felt that it was quite ordinary to see and speak with angels, believing that this was a normal occurrence. However, the angels told her that it was indeed NOT ordinary and that she would need to protect herself from the scrutiny of others as she grew up.
According to Byrne, Archangel Michael will answer to all who beseech his help. He can also be in many different places at once. He has been in existence since the beginning of time, and while we have given him a masculine persona, he can also manifest a feminine quality, if that’s desired by people seeking this archangel’s help.
In choosing this work for Art ion Bloom, I wanted to pay homage to Archangel Michael, as I have called upon him over the years, starting with a diagnosis of cancer in my early 40s. Seeing a direct link between trauma life experience and cancer, I have set upon a challenging journey of trying to release traumatic events that I believe manifested in my body in the form of chronic illness. While I feel the body has capability to heal itself, I started praying to helpers in the spirit realm for peace of mind, clarity, and forgiveness. I have been told by many holistic healers that my heart is blocked and that the heart must stay open in order to heal chronic illness. So my prayers to Archangel Michael are often simply stated as, “Please unblock my heart.”
Working with flowers has become a source of healing for me over the years. I’m no longer working in floral retail, but rather, just for myself. I’m always looking for excuses to make a floral arrangement and for that floral arrangement to be seen by others. Sometimes I’ll make an arrangement and bring it to a public place, asking the vendors if they would like to display the work. If a friend has a special event, I’ll undoubtedly bring a special floral arrangement to celebrate the event. Sometimes I’m reimbursed for the display, but I’ll often simply donate the flowers. I find much joy in this practice and understand that fresh flowers in a room tend to jazz up the energy in whatever space they are sitting in. A fresh floral display also reminds us to remain in the now and appreciate what is in the present moment, and that this too, like all things in life, will eventually come to pass.
Amanda Luke
Interpreting: Beginning Form Meets Spiral 06-1
Gallery: 374
Years of participation: 3
Sponsored by Lakewood Cemetery
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Carol Lui
Interpreting: Cranes and Pines
Gallery: 219
Years of participation: 20
Ikebana International – Ichiyo and Ohara Schools
From the PFA:
Ohara Ikebana, Rimpa Style—horizontal seasonal style inspired by gold/silver leaf folding screens of Rimpa Painting School (Edo Period)
Yasuko MacNabb
Interpreting: Mice on Rice-cake Flowers
Gallery: 222
Years of participation: 18
Sogetsu Ikebana study group
From the PFA:
Background: Rice-cake flowers are a decoration on the little new year (January 15) in Japan. The bare branches covered with Rice cake (Mochi) representing abundant harvest, family safety, prosperity, and spring.
Lauryn Magwaro
Interpreting: Courtesan (Prostitute) with Sake Cup
Gallery: 237
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
I wanted something simple yet vibrant! Ikebana is a way to connect humans and nature. I hope this piece emulates that connection.
Kathryn Andrews Malody
Interpreting: Manchu Women’s Unofficial Informal Vest
Gallery: 210
Years of participation: 34
Design sponsored by the North Star Lily Society
From the PFA:
I’m honored for the opportunity to be part of a three-generation family tradition participating as a Pedestal Floral Artist at Mia’s Art In Bloom. This “unofficial informal” vest drew my interest because of the exquisite care taken to ornament this modest domestic garment. From the gold threads that define the cicadas’ fine features and border, to the floral and leafy aspects of the insects in flight, it’s a celebration of nature and life. It’s even more meaningful to me as a Chinese cultural symbol of transformation and rebirth. I’m grateful for the support and sponsorship of the Minnesota North Star Lily Society.
Jamie Manning
Interpreting: Rainy Evening on Hennepin Avenue
Gallery: 302
Years of participation: 4
From the PFA:
This picture, painted by Robert Koehler in 1902, evokes a feeling of European Impressionism. The dark, moody colors of the picture informed my floral palette. I sought out dark jewel tones for the focal flowers depicting the pedestrians (scabiosa and anemone), using a dark red spray rose to highlight the woman in the forefront. Lighter blue (blue thistle) and creme colored flowers (hellebores and carnations) were used to capture light emanating behind the clouds and light shadows on the street.
The vase was made by my son, Ben Manning, many years ago, using a Raku low-fire pottery technique. The rough, dark texture fit well with the dark colors in the painting.
Laurel, Erin, and Caryl Manoles
Interpreting: Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple
Gallery: 341
Years of participation: 4, 4, and 4
From the PFA:
“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’ His disciples remembered that it is written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’”
—John 2:13–17
John Markovich
Interpreting: Dragon and Phoenix Vase (Meiping)
Gallery: 217
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
The amazing people I have met at AiB for PFA and my girlfriend Liz. You inspire me.
Keiko Martin
Interpreting: Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning
Gallery: 201
Years of participation: 9
Ikebana International – Sogetsu School
From the PFA:
Inspired by this Chinese god’s flowing silk robe, lotus cape, and graceful hand gestures.
Kristina Mauersberger and Katie Erickson
Interpreting: Lady’s Writing Desk
Gallery: 314
Years of participation: 1 and 1
From the PFA:
These elegant desks were known as bonheur-du-jour, which translates to “day’s delight.” We were inspired by the delight of both writing and receiving handwritten letters, a cherished tradition that’s become exceedingly rare.
Our flower arrangement was created in honor of someone we deeply loved, who took the time to write more heartfelt notes of love, sympathy, celebration, and gratitude than anyone we’ve known. We delight in the day we will see you again, Marion Erickson. The daisies are for you.
Gabi May
Interpreting: The Three Graces
Gallery: 321
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
Fresh poetic dance
Jill May
Interpreting: Spiritual Flames
Gallery: 260
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
This piece represents to me the journey of a beautiful dear friend. We had planned to, hoped to, participate together this year after many years of us individually enjoying Art in Bloom as spectators. Sadly, she lost her battle to cancer prior to learning the news that I had been selected to participate. Our bond as nurse and patient transformed to a friendship that spiritually supported and moved us both. It’s with deep gratitude that I’m embracing the opportunity to interpret Spiritual Flames.
Max May and Sadie Whiteis
Interpreting: Portrait Bust of Pope Clement X
Gallery: 310
Years of participation: 4 and 4
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Kay McCarthy and Judy Wattman
Interpreting: Le Pont de Moret
Gallery: 351
Years of participation: 2 and 2
From the PFA:
This painting exudes peace, serenity, and a deep connection between nature and the village. The sturdy stone bridge, with its graceful arches, stands as a striking focal point. There’s a sense of deep affection for this place. Gentle touches of floral hues invite us to participate in the quiet beauty.
Tara McCarthy
Interpreting: Pink Honey
Gallery: 375
Years of participation: 13
From the PFA:
The artist wanted to show swimming as a way to tell stories of community, learning, teaching, togetherness, and play.
Please watch this short clip featuring Modupeola Fadugba and the Harlem Honeys and Bears. It’s wonderful!
Perry McGowan
Interpreting: Dvarapala (Door Guardian)
Gallery: 213
Years of participation: 7
Friends of Life
From the PFA:
Floral artists Perry McGowan and Zuzana Menzlova celebrate this Dvarapala (Door Guardian) Spirit, a beautiful example of Indonesian craftsmanship from about 1400 A.D. Carved from the volcanic stone, Andesite, common in Java and nearby islands, it is a spirit born from the earth, and brought to life by the stonecarver to protect the community. Now being about 600 years old, the protective powers are undeniable. He sits quietly, but wields obvious authority. Like the old Theodore Roosevelt saying, “speak softly and carry a big stick” he welcomes worshippers as he fends off evils.
We are honored to participate in Art in Bloom with so many amazing artworks and beautiful floral interpretations. We cherish the enrichment within these museum walls and the time we have spent together forming this arrangement for you.
Kristen McWilliams and Phillip McWilliams
Interpreting: Immaculate Madonna
Gallery: 308
Years of participation: 7 and 7
U of MN Extension Master Gardener, Minnesota Horticultural Society, and Orchid Society of Minnesota
From the PFA:
The movement in this sculpture and the pure white color make this an intriguing piece for us. It is calming, like the gentle movement of clear water.
Gail Mengelkoch
Interpreting: False Start
Gallery: 305
Years of participation: 6
From the PFA:
A spectral vision reflecting tangerine sherbet sunsets and corals of the sea, expanding new boundaries across the world.
Lisa Meyer
Interpreting: Place Saint-Augustin
Gallery: 351
Years of participation: 4
From the PFA:
One of my favorite pieces and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to interpret it in flowers.
Kathy Moccio
Interpreting: Prestige Bowl (Purukei)
Gallery: 262
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
Art in Bloom, like a wedding, is a communal celebration. This Admiralty Island prestige bowl is used to carry coconut oil for a bridal feast. Rather than represent the carrying of the oil, I use white flowers to represent the pouring of coconut oil at the bridal feast. Thus, incorporating the prestige bowl into the joy of the feast. I hope you enjoy this piece and the communal celebration that Art in Bloom provides.
Mary Ann Morgan and Stacey Morgan Robertson
Interpreting: Arose
Gallery: 243
Years of participation: 9 and 2
Mary Ann Morgan Studio
From the PFA:
First of all, I am grateful for being part of Mia’s Art in Bloom. 2025 marks my ninth year of participation. This is such a unique exhibit and a fun opportunity.
Every year, I custom build my vessel using fused glass to interpret the artwork. I love the new challenge each year brings, as we always select different pieces from the collection.
Last year, my daughter Stacey Robertson helped me build my piece for the first time. A few months before the 2024 show, I broke my wrist and needed surgery. While recovering, I was unable to create the amount of pressure needed to cut the glass for the vessel. So she was my right-hand gal (literally, because I really am right handed). Stacey is helping me again this year because I recently had wrist surgery to remove the metal plate and screws that were need for healing. We have a great time working and laughing together!
Arose by Shahzia Sikander appealed to me because it was a challenge with the center of the piece being a circle. When I started to design the vessel, I realized there is no way to hang so many flowers upside down and have them still be able to drink water and stay fresh over the four day exhibit. So the fused glass vessel represents the lower portion of Arose, and the upper half is represented in the fresh flowers and greenery. We needed tall flora to make the desired effect, so I chose some black calla lilies with gold accents, white flowers with a hint of a soft lavender color in the mix, and green ti leaves.
If you’d like to learn more about my work and see my former Art in Bloom pieces, please visit my website http://maryannmorgan.com.
Finally, thank you to Mia and the Friends of Mia for another lovely show.
Enjoy the exhibit!
Adele Morris
Interpreting: Coffeepot
Gallery: 354
Years of participation: 11
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Sena Muledhu
Interpreting: Stool
Gallery: 250
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
This art symbolizes humanity’s origin, with nommos uniting heaven and earth, embodying balance, ancestry, and the transmission of culture across generations.
This floral display interprets Dogon cosmology as depicted by this ceremonial stool, where the nommos bridge heaven and earth. Blue and white blooms symbolize the heavens and the sky, while grounded hues embody the earth. At the center, branches represents the cosmic tree, connecting both realms. Surrounding florals translate the nommos—paired male and female figures who are said to be the founding ancestors of humankind and teachers of culture. Each floral pairing is carefully chosen for complementary colors, shapes, and designs, reflecting the harmony of equal and opposite forces that sustain existence.
Beverly Munson
Interpreting: The Merced River in Yosemite
Gallery: 323
Years of participation: 18
Richfield Garden Club
From the PFA:
Beauty in the great outdoors of Yosemite inspires the artist in the subtle and fleeting pastel tones in the sky, mountain, and trees. Flowers I intend to use are ranunculus, limonium, statice, and willow.
Jenae Murphy
Interpreting: Bacchante and Satyr
Gallery: 321
Years of participation: 3
From the PFA:
In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas.
Dixie Nelson, Nancy McNee, and Brooks Nelson
Interpreting: Bride from Wedding Procession
Gallery: 215/216
Years of participation: 9, 9, and 9
Lillies de Fleur
From the PFA:
Who wouldn’t be inspired by Bride from Wedding Procession with its musicians, horses, palanquin, and bride? Bright colored flowers complement.
This is our ninth year participating in Art in Bloom. Each year brings new opportunities, from choosing artwork and creating design concepts to selecting the vessel and flowers. It is exciting to see our initial ideas come together. This year’s Bride from Wedding Procession is our second Asian work of art. We invite you to enjoy all the inspiring floral art at Art in Bloom!
Jack Nelson
Interpreting: Saint John the Baptist
Gallery: 308
Years of participation: 1
Petalcore Collective
From the PFA:
I took a lot of inspiration from the painting itself, for example the artist’s use of color. There are strong cold to warm contrasts in the work, on an almost complementary palette. This is balanced with light to dark harmonies in the colors. There is a strong contrast in line, between the dynamic lines of each form and each brush stroke, to the more static lines in the cross and Saint John’s face. The painting features a proportion using Fibonacci’s sequence, which you will also see in my interpretation if you dissect the individual elements. There are also very strong elements of Gestalt present, which creates tension and emotion in the painting. Some of these include proximity, continuity, similarity, and common fate.
Jocelyn Neren
Interpreting: Self-portrait with Cigarette
Gallery: 357
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Karla Newman
Interpreting: National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies
Gallery: 369
Years of participation: 20
From the PFA:
It seems the fight is never over.
Mab Nulty and Ceallaigh Smart
Interpreting: Manchu Woman’s Semiformal Court Vest
Gallery: 210
Years of participation: 10 and 4
From the PFA:
Our Flowers and the Court
The embroidery and palette of the garments worn by Qing Dynasty nobles were both beautiful evocations of nature and symbolic of ruling power. Our flower choices pay homage to the exquisite skills of the artisans who made this vest and to the spirit of the Manchu woman who wore it.
Glossary of symbols:
Yellow: Only allowed to be worn by the emperor, empress dowager, empress, and first-rank (concubines).
Five-clawed dragon: Only allowed to be worn by the emperor and his immediate family
Dragons: In the Qing Dynasty, the dragon symbolized imperial authority, power, and good fortune, with the emperor often depicted as a dragon or associated with dragon imagery, including the five-clawed dragon as a symbol of the emperor’s supreme power.
Dragons chasing flaming pearls: In Qing Dynasty art, such dragons represent the pursuit of wisdom, power, and cosmic harmony. They embody the balance of yin and yang and the emperor’s authority. The pearl is associated with spiritual energy, wisdom, prosperity, power, immortality, thunder, and the moon.
Dragons soaring amongst dark, rain-bringing clouds: In Chinese mythology, certain dragons were considered masters of rain and storms, just as the emperor was master of all he ruled.
Dragons over peaks and waves: These represent all of earth under heaven.
Headdresses: Very ornate headdresses were worn at court both for style and to denote rank. The shape was more rectangular than the Ming Dynasty style and covered with jewels and flowers. We have added this headdress to represent the woman inside this vest who possessed a heart, mind – life!
Historical background: The Qing Dynasty was founded by the Manchus, a Northeastern Asian people. Their history, language, culture and identity were distinct from the Chinese population they conquered in 1644. The Qing Dynasty ended the Ming Dynasty, and its population had to adapt to Manchu culture. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, a law requiring subjects to change their clothes and hair to the Manchu style led to enormous conflict. Manchu women were known as “Golden Head and Natural Feet” women. “Golden Head” referred to the rich decoration of Manchu headdresses. “Natural Feet” indicated that they did not bind their feet into “Lotus Feet” as Han women did. This change was, of course, much favored by women.
Qing fashion and tailoring: Court fashion like this vest was created by using tapestry-weave silk. Raising silkworms, weaving and embroidering silk were primarily the domains of women. The Qing Dynasty established imperial workshops, or factories, to produce specialized goods, including textiles, porcelain, and other crafts. These workshops housed skilled artisans, including weavers, embroiderers, and tailors, who were responsible for creating the court textiles.
Robes were made from silk, satin, and gauze, and were often embroidered, woven with patterns, and adorned with pearls and thread made from precious metals. The materials, colors, and motifs of Qing court attire were strictly controlled by imperial regulations, reflecting the importance of maintaining a certain aesthetic and symbolic order.
The finest silk was produced at imperial factories in Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, and then sent to Beijing for tailoring and finishing. The emperor’s ceremonial silk robes, known as “dragon robes,” were particularly elaborate. Two were made per year.
Questions to Consider:
How many of you do or have done hand work and realize the amazing artistry in the design and execution?
What would you feel if you were wearing this beautiful vest? Living at court?
Do you think our fashion is “dictated” today?
What do you like your wardrobe to say about you
Mary Olafson
Interpreting: Warrior with Shield
Gallery: 371
Years of participation: 4
From the PFA:
Despite our wounds, we are all warriors who remain defiant.
Mary Orchard and Fallon Vannelli
Interpreting: Taoist Stele of Five Deities
Gallery: 201
Years of participation: 2 and 2
From the PFA:
Casted concrete shaped to mimic the Stele. Oriental grasses and flowers arranged to give attention to each individual Deity.
Ayan Orshe
Interpreting: The Scholar’s Playthings
Gallery: 367
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
Alone
From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev’ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ’round me roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view—
—By Edgar Allan Poe
Karen Ortiz
Interpreting: A Norwegian River in Winter
Gallery: 359
Years of participation: 15
From the PFA:
Winter can be so beautiful, especially the combination of snow and water. The painting reminds me of Minnesota.
Jen Pacyga
Interpreting: Basin with Apollo and the Muses
Gallery: 332
Years of participation: 7
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
These flowers are depicting a good time in a bowl!
Micky Paine
Interpreting: Abundance of Fish
Gallery: 223
Years of participation: 8
From the PFA:
My astrological sign is Pisces. It’s only fitting an Abundance of Fish would be the art work I’ve chosen.
Diana Pierce
Interpreting: Twenty-two Cherries
Gallery: 226
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
A nod to Hamaguchi—craspedia, or Billy Balls, echo the elegance and order of 22 vibrant cherries. Naturally only yellow, each bloom was color-sprayed to reflect his vivid palette. Floral wire stems were shaped and cut to mimic real cherry stems.
The selection of materials was intentional: Craspedia holds its form and color without water, making it ideal for an extended display.
With heartfelt thanks to my mentors: “Flower Whisperer” Denese Erickson, Diane Enge (retired from Bachman’s), and Sandy Schroek of Len Busch Roses for their guidance and support throughout this creative process.
About the Artist: Yozo Hamaguchi (1909–2000) was a Japanese artist celebrated for reviving and mastering the mezzotint printmaking technique—a process that produces rich, velvety textures and luminous forms. His signature style combined meticulous detail with minimalist compositions, often featuring fruit set against deep, dark backgrounds. Twenty-Two Cherries, first created in 1988, is among his most iconic works. The series pays tribute to American poet e. e. cummings, whom Hamaguchi met in Paris during the 1930s. Each of the 20 variations in the suite takes its title from a line in cummings’s 1940 poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town.” Hamaguchi’s work evokes both order and whimsy—qualities I sought to honor in this floral reinterpretation.
About the Designer: Diana Pierce is a former TV news anchor turned floral photographer and creator of Bloom With Me, a bi-monthly newsletter celebrating nature’s beauty. If you’d like to subscribe, please head to DianaPiercePhotography.com and fill out the form at the top of the page.
Richard Raiche
Interpreting: Pair of Elevator Grilles, Frieze, and Overgrille
Gallery: 300
Years of participation: 18
From the PFA:
How can one not stop and wonder how someone designed these beautiful elevator grilles? Who would even think of doing it today? Let’s make an effort to preserve these works of art throughout America.
Linda Leraas Ray
Interpreting: Seaport
Gallery: 354
Years of participation: 18
From the PFA:
I am dedicating my piece to my son, NASA engineer Eric Scott Ray, whom we lost suddenly in December, age 48. He loved art!
Mayumi Redin
Interpreting: Soundsuit
Gallery: 373
Years of participation: 24
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
Nick Cave’s Soundsuits evoke powerful emotions through use of color and whimsically constructed instruments.
Bree Reeves and Autumn Bockman
Interpreting: Jali (window screen)
Gallery: 211
Years of participation: 2 and 2
From the PFA:
This floral arrangement is inspired by the striking architectural style of the original piece. Using floral weaving and a variety of bright colors, Autumn and Bree ask, “What would you have seen through this window?”
Dawn Renner
Interpreting: Circular Armchair
Gallery: 218
Years of participation: 12
From the PFA:
Although the red is a standout feature of the chair, there are more subtleties to admire within its form. Red is reflected against the beautiful woods of the other bedroom pieces. This chair calls out with an explosion of red to draw the viewer into the scene through the interplay of the stark color against the other furniture’s natural wood finishes. The form of the curves and red lacquer of the chair are highlighted in a more modern undertaking with just a red focal point drawing additional focus to the ancient craftsmanship of the bedroom in its entirety.
Jill Risse
Interpreting: Winter Landscape
Gallery: 359
Years of participation: 11
Richfield Garden Club
From the PFA:
The lack of snow recently drew me in to this painting. I hope to portray a cozy feeling with flowers.
Terri Ristow
Interpreting: Tray
Gallery: 210
Years of participation: 12
From the PFA:
I was drawn to this beautiful Chinese tray by the red color and the impression that these sinuous dragons are ready to burst out of their two-dimensional world. They may look fierce, but never fear, Chinese dragons are friendly! They undulate through the sky, breathing clouds and influencing the weather. In Chinese culture, dragons symbolize good fortune, inner strength, and a pioneering spirit.
Claire Roberts
Interpreting: Yo Soy la Luz
Gallery: 275
Years of participation: 4
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Deborah Rodgers
Interpreting: Lamentation of Christ
Gallery: 342
Years of participation: 5
Sunflower Garden Club, Richfield
From the PFA:
Christ’s sacrifice for my sins was amazing!
Jodie Rodne
Interpreting: Vase
Gallery: 350
Years of participation: 7
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Nadine Ronning, Sally Perovich, and Mary Bona
Interpreting: Car Model
Gallery: 379
Years of participation: 7, 2, and 7
From the PFA:
Frankly, this artwork presents quite a challenge. A single color—lime green—does not bring a riot of flowers to mind. A blaze of yellow scurries across the surface as the angle of light changes.
Our key words became sleek and futuristic. The result is a green globe with calla lilies providing motion.
But what is making that motion? Wind? The globe’s acceleration? Or are they rudders steering the garden planet?
Myra Rusten
Interpreting: Tazza
Gallery: 350
Years of participation: 7
Flowers by Myra
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Sharon Sampon and Heather Wulfsberg
Interpreting: The Spanish Playing Cards
Gallery: 367
Years of participation: 5 and 5
From the PFA:
Our inspiration comes in the last week with the flower search. So, listen to what these flowers say about how they inspired this interpretation!
Mimi Schirber
Interpreting: Door
Gallery: 242
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
A covered porch, welcome mat, a splash of color, a wreath, or potted plant. The gateway’s tale welcoming home.
Hunter Schmidt
Interpreting: Tomb Figure Representing a Standing Dog
Gallery: 208
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
This is my first year participating in Mia’s Art in Bloom! I am excited to present a unique piece that combines my passion for design and nature. The arrangement is housed within a handmade ceramic vase, designed to replicate the dog’s body. The floral arrangement is to portray the head, back legs, and tail of the dog, most of the arrangement is locally sourced flowers, highlighting the beauty of seasonal blooms while celebrating the art of floral design.
Shelley Schmokel
Interpreting: Palm
Gallery: 373
Years of participation: 26
From the PFA:
In all my years participating in Art in Bloom, I have never interpreted artwork so colorful. And big! Capturing the visual POW of the tapestry is my aim.
Kristin Shardlow
Interpreting: Mrs. T in Cream Silk, No. 2
Gallery: 302
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Bruce Smith
Interpreting: Funerary Model of a Pavillion
Gallery: 215
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
Since the beginning of time, humans have honored those who have passed on. Perhaps it began with a pile of stones placed on the grave by cave men. Crosses, tombstones, pyramids, towers, vaults, and many other implements have been used to remember family, friends, and great leaders for centuries.
Presently, many friends and families use flowers for these remembrances. Some send flowers and plants to memorial services. Others place flowers and wreaths on the graves of family throughout the years to honor them and keep memories and love strong in their hearts.
That’s why it only seemed natural and right to have flowers growing around, up the walls and in this aristocratic tomb. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed creating it in honor of all those in our lives who have passed on.
Cindy Snowberg
Interpreting: Steamwheeler on the Upper Mississippi
Gallery: 303
Years of participation: 17
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
The power of a paddlewheel churns eddies and currents in the water with white foam and spray following its wake.
Kate Sobraske and Barbarajo Kuzelka
Interpreting: Wedding Chest (cassone)
Gallery: 343
Years of participation: 7 and 8
Botanical Brilliance
From the PFA:
How can a piece of furniture speak to our shared humanity?
The tension between society’s values and a person’s desires are brought to the forefront on this wedding chest. In the center, images of four women represent the four cardinal virtues—qualities highly valued by Renaissance society. However, these women are flanked by images that are considerably more salacious: a brawl between powerful (and nude!) centaurs on the left and a tryst between a centaur and a woman on the right. Spicy motifs like these were quite popular at the time, despite being widely frowned-upon. Together, the racy centaurs compete with the virtuous women for the viewer’s attention, the same way societal values can compete with personal affinities.
Centuries ago, a young person filled this wedding chest with what they expected to need as they entered a new phase of life. Those items are imagined here as fine artifacts, but these items are a mystery. We’ll never know what they were nor if they were the best things to pack for this new chapter.
Despite the time and distance between us and the original owner of this wedding chest, we can relate to them. Have you ever felt the tension between being yourself and fitting in with what society deems worthwhile? Have you ever begun a new phase of your life, uncertain if you planned appropriately? What feelings did you experience, and how does that connect with those of a young Renaissance newlywed? Art and our shared humanity unite us.
Cindy Soule
Interpreting: Flaring
Gallery: 303
Years of participation: 15
From the PFA:
I’m inspired by the motion and colors in my artwork. The black sticks mirror the black lines.
Mary Spear
Interpreting: View of Dresden: Schlossplatz
Gallery: 371
Years of participation: 2
Party Full of Posies
From the PFA:
Vertical architecture soars and dancing fountains shimmer. The Schlossplatz (palace square) pulses with color and movement, capturing the timeless rhythm of tradition.
Patrick Stahl
Interpreting: Scholar’s Rock
Gallery: 218
Years of participation: 12
From the PFA:
In memory of Pamela
Elizabeth Stephan and Eric Stephan
Interpreting: Pulse
Gallery: 280
Years of participation: 2
From the PFA:
Tony Cragg brilliantly uses organic materials in many of his sculptures, and Pulse singularly uses wood (kerto) to create this dynamic piece. This sculpture has a way of capturing your heart. Tony starts with a piece of material to define its meaning connected to the neurological reaction we get from this. The pedestal flower art includes eucalyptus, alstroemeria, ranunculus, lilies, and more to represent the organic flow.
Paul Sternberg
Interpreting: Cart with Ox and Farmer
Gallery: 215
Years of participation: 7
From the PFA:
I like the ox. It is more natural than the farmer who seems more stylized. I love the patina too. The container is wood, covered with paper mache clay, covered with drywall plaster.
Megan Stickney
Interpreting: The Promenades of Euclid
Gallery: 377
Years of participation: 3
Moral Floral
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Heather I. Succio
Interpreting: The Immaculate Conception with Saints Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua
Gallery: 330
Years of participation: 2
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
The Immaculate Conception with Saints Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua is a 17th-century masterwork by artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609–1664), commissioned by Cardinal Girolamo Verospi for the high altar of a Capuchin church in Osimo, Italy. Castiglione’s painting reaches a soaring height of 12 feet, beckoning our eyes upward to the open arms of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ, accompanied by both angels and saints.
I found the challenge of interpreting this “sacra conversazione” through blooms and greens to be more than simply a creative endeavor. I believe nature is sacred. It’s my living cathedral: the means by and through which I connect the most closely with God. So, conveying the beauty and message of this Biblical story brought me closer to an understanding of my own heart, soul, and purpose. Ultimately, it was and continues to be a visceral exercise of personal faith.
From the dark browns of the palm and fantail to the lighter golds of the beech and willow, I see the initial separation and eventual connection between Earth and Heaven, held together by the mystery of water, sky, and space. I see Castiglioni’s depiction of Mother Mary as the Queen of Heaven, “a great sign” appearing in the whites, reds, and blues of gladiola, garden rose, and delphinium: symbols of both purity and royal birth.
It has been, and always will be, an honor and a privilege to hold this story in my hands. @nordicheather
Mareth Sullivan
Interpreting: Uhodoji, the Divine Rainmaking Boy
Gallery: 220
Years of participation: 7
From the PFA:
With His magic and wisdom, He brings rain and then the flowers, perhaps He’ll make a rainbow!
Brenda Sussna
Interpreting: Flat Nezumi-Shinto Pot with Reed Design
Gallery: 222
Years of participation: 8
Ikebana International – Ichiyo School
From the PFA:
I was inspired by the scale and texture of this Japanese piece, the colors of the clay and glaze, and the natural surface decoration that is often found on this type of Shino pottery. For my Ikebana arrangement, I used a Japanese vase that echoes the colors of the art piece. Materials include dried maple branches, Luecadendron, Limonia, hydrangea, and a Japanese grass, combined to capture the movement and expression of nature found on this Shino vessel.
Janice Swanson
Interpreting: Eucalyptus
Gallery: 376
Years of participation: 14 years
From the PFA:
I consider myself a literal PFA, Pedestal Floral Artist. As I go through the choices, sometimes I get a glimpse in my mind of how I would recreate it.
I normally start my interpretatation with my container. To me that is my starting point. I have many containers that will fit some of the art. I have forgotten some I picked up. I need to take pictures and put all together.
I have seen some awesome floral pieces, but the container doesn’t fit. There is no flow. It makes me feel unbalanced.
Then I make my flower and leaf list that I will use. Keeping in mind they need to last five days with some refreshing to make them look nice.
This is the first year I chose the floral and leaves first. Then my container. Feels odd but it will be okay!
Mary Lou Theisen
Interpreting: White Breath
Gallery: 375
Years of participation: 9
Golden Valley Garden Club
From the PFA:
I love being here at Art in Bloom at Mia with all the wonderful creations and the intoxicating spring aroma. Thank you, Mia.
Gene Thill
Interpreting: Madonna and Child
Gallery: 357
Years of participation: 2
Minnesota State Fair Flower Show annual participant
From the PFA:
For as long as I can remember, our family was friends with the Holy Family. Our mothers would always hang out together, while us kids would be off playing games with Jesus until the street lights would come on. Our fathers were often found to be building or fixing things that needed to be repaired or mended. Growing up together with seven other siblings, we attended St. Mark’s grade school in St. Paul’s Midway Neighborhood, and it seemed that there was always something that needed fixing. We had all girls except for the seven boys in a row. My sister was the youngest (and most precious) of the bunch. I seem to remember that through thick and thin, good times and bad, the Holy Family was always there for us, and to offer assistance whenever necessary. They have been so good to us throughout the years, that I thought that the least I could do, was to present them with some flowers in appreciation for all the love and support that they had bestowed on us so many times.
Ruth Thompson-Klabunde
Interpreting: Blessing of the Tuna Fleet at Groix
Gallery: 355
Years of participation: 6
From the PFA:
I was inspired to use orchids in an attempt to capture the movement of the energetic colors in the flags.
Krista, Aubrey, and Paige Thorburn
Interpreting: Still Life with Dahlias, Zinnias, Hollyhocks, and Plums
Gallery: 321
Years of participation: 3, 3, and 3
From the PFA:
We were drawn to the beautiful summer flowers, the casual arrangement, and Delacroix’s painterly style. This is our spring take!
Faith and Zachary Tibbits
Interpreting: Allegory of the Seasons, Elements, and Time
Gallery: 311
Years of participation: 2 and 2
From the PFA:
The seasons, the moon and sun, astrology, karmic justice: A few themes I’m drawn to time and time again.
Yoko Toda
Interpreting: Buddha
Gallery: 200
Years of participation: 12 years
Ikebana International – Sogetsu School
From the PFA:
The Hellenistic influence on this statue intrigued me with his chiseled face and Greek philosopher-like cloth and figure seeking the truth.
Jessica Malody Tomaselli
Interpreting: “Egg” Rocking Chair
Gallery: 378
Years of participation: 5
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Diana Torgerson
Interpreting: Flower Vase
Gallery: 310
Years of participation: 1
From the PFA:
Blue is the rarest flower color, appearing in only 10% of flowers. Delphinium, a favorite of mine, defines this design.
Amber Tritabaugh
Interpreting: Updraft
Gallery: 369
Years of participation: 6
Ikebana International Chapter 121
From the PFA:
turbulent rhythms,
clouds reforming to rivers
sharp rising tempest
Sonia Tuduri
Interpreting: Self-portrait
Gallery: 307
Years of participation: 3
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Jerry and Jimmy Voci
Interpreting: Helmet with Ornament Bearing Seed Syllable for Fudo Myoo
Gallery: 219
Years of participation: 15 and 15
Master Gardeners of Dakota County
From the PFA:
Jim is fascinated by Japanese culture and design. Feudal military helmets (kabuto) remind him of those seen in modern video games. Fudo Myoo the “Immovable Wisdom King” symbolism of Sanskrit characters is reflected in the sunflower seeds. Calla lilies represent the long blades and chrysanthemums form the medallion. The unique holes on the Monstera leaves represent overcoming obstacles whereas the monstera plant embodies the spirit of nature and the natural world, which serves as a guide for the human spirit.
See http://myarmoury.com/feature_jpn_armour.php for more info:
“During the feudal wars in the 16th century many new types of armor appeared. Construction in this period was predominantly lamellar, but during the peaceful Edo period (1603-1868), some armourers returned to scale construction. Full-plate armor appeared in the middle of the 16th century and, despite their high price, quickly gained popularity. / The kabuto consists of two integral parts—the bowl (hachi) and the neck-guard (shikoro). Another element, the date, is attached to the hachi and has different functions—mythological, status symbol, decorative and even something like the warrior’s “signature” or “ID card”. The most widespread type of date was the horn or antler-like kuwagata. / The helmet used with the tanko had developed to protrude over the forehead to protect the face. This part created the name of the helmet—shokaku-tsuki kabuto (literally, “helmet of the stabbing ram”). The main element of the shokaku-tsuki kabuto was the curved lamella shokaku-bo, which ran from the front to the back of the head. It had a clearly defined central ridge, and two horizontal lamellae, running around the head, were riveted to it. These lamellae were the koshimaki (at the bottom of the helmet) and the do-maki (in the central part of the helmet). The space between the three lamellae was filled with small rectangular or triangular scales and riveted to them. Another semi-spherical lamella, called shokaku-tei ita, formed the front part of the bowl (hachi), filling the triangular space between the warrior’s forehead and the shokaku-bo. A decoration with trident-like shape, carrying three pheasant feathers was riveted on the top of the hachi. / Broad leather strips were laced through holes drilled at the sides and on the back of the koshimaki , and these secured between three and five U-shaped horizontal lamellae. The lamellae protected the neck and later were given the name shikoro. Each of the lamellae was laced so that it covered the bottom part of the one above and allowed upward movement.”
Sarah Wall-Hauri
Interpreting: The Zenith
Gallery: 373
Years of participation: 3
Bachman’s
From the PFA:
Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Aimee Weber and Sue Doyscher
Interpreting: Casement Window
Gallery: 300
Years of participation: 3 and 2
Poppy & Wonderments Design House
From the PFA:
Casement Window is beautiful in its simplicity and elegance, and the poppy is exquisite. Spiritual symbolism of poppies include remembrance, resilience, hope, peace, and the cyclical nature of life and death. The frosted panes of Casement Window allow you to imagine what might be on the other side, just waiting to be discovered.
Our interpretation of Casement Window invites you to wander beyond the limitations of what is placed in front of you, to explore the wonderments of your imagination. Perhaps if we dip into our imaginations, we can find hope and peace and resilience to honor nature, ourselves, and others. Allow your inner light and gifts to shine, and let your mind bloom. Your inner bloom is powerful and needed in the world!
As within, so without.
Rebecca Wilson and Heidi Ott
Interpreting: Interference and a Tiny Spot of Hope
Gallery: 261
Years of participation: 6 and 6
From the PFA:
I was drawn to this piece because the disruption seems very apropos currently. I also love the stag!
Violet Wilson
Interpreting: Hat
Gallery: 210
Years of participation: 4
From the PFA: Flowers have a language of their own. Listen to what these flowers say about the art that inspired this floral interpretation!
Claire Winter
Interpreting: View in the Roman Forum
Gallery: 310
Years of participation: 2
Eliza Rose Floral
From the PFA:
I sought out to bring attention to the smaller details in this landscape, as they were hidden by the dark, looming presence of the capriccio. Each floral piece has minute details highlighted within the arrangement. Take a moment to see if you can discover them.