Pollen Patrol: Protecting the Art During Art in Bloom
April 11, 2025—It’s quiet in the early mornings of Art in Bloom’s four-day run when Laura Galarneau, the administrative coordinator for the Friends of the Institute, begins receiving radio updates via walkie-talkie from Mia security: Blooming in gallery 302. Stamens opening in gallery 227.
These cryptic alerts pertain, of course, to the flowers—their overnight activities are being surveilled. Their stamens release pollen, which can leave permanent marks on art objects and potentially cause erosion over time. This scenario is the worst-case outcome, and the Friends work diligently to avoid it at all costs. Art in Bloom is their largest fundraiser of the year, and it requires extensive preparation both in advance and during the event. Maintenance and monitoring of the floral arrangements is crucial.
An Unpredictable Medium
Gary Alan Bukovnik (American, born 1947), Pink Lillies, 1982, color lithograph. Gift of Henry H. Hawley, P.82.17.2
“The wonderful thing about working with natural materials is that they can surprise you at any moment,” says Amy Kubas, a floral artist who has participated in Art in Bloom since 2016. “Throughout the weekend, several arrangements do open and bloom, and we have to make sure we keep an eye on that.”
There are some common culprits. “Lilies are notorious,” says Kubas. “They open up, and as gorgeous as they are, they have messy stamens that will droop downwards and drop pollen.”
Other frequent pollen producers include tulips and alstroemerias. Yet given the conditions inside the museum, virtually any flower could bloom and release pollen during the event. Mia carefully regulates humidity levels in the galleries to protect the artworks, creating a dry, warm environment that encourages many flowers to open far faster than they would in a typical home.
Having participated in many an Art in Bloom, Kubas is all too aware of the potential risks.
“It’s less an issue of whether those flowers will open up, and more so a question of when.”
A Series of Solutions
The Friends have explored various methods to combat the pollen. Their first line of defense was the Pedestal Floral Artists (PFAs) themselves.
“We encourage everyone to be vigilant, to make sure they’re monitoring their own flowers,” says Diane Morrison, co-chair of Art in Bloom in 2023 and 2024, and coordinator of the PFAs this year. “It’s their responsibility to do that. But we don’t expect anyone to be at the museum every minute of the day during Art in Bloom—that would be unreasonable. And flowers open up so quickly—one minute they’re fine, and five minutes later, you walk by and they’re open. So we encourage the artists to partner with each other, get to know the others in their gallery, and have each other’s backs.”
An unfortunate consequence of this, in the perfection-driven environment of Art in Bloom, was some mutual surveillance. “It almost became like they were tattling on each other,” says Morrison. “You know, ‘that person hasn’t been here,’ that kind of thing. We did not want to encourage that kind of atmosphere at all.”
The Friends decided to pivot. They sought volunteers to observe the flower arrangements and report on potential pollen risks. Plenty of people were eager to help, and sign-ups filled up quickly. There was just one problem.
“They didn’t have a clue about flowers,” says Morrison. “They didn’t even know what they were looking for. So that wasn’t very helpful. They were enthusiastic and ready to help, for which we were very grateful. But it wasn’t really getting us to our goal, which is 100% keeping the art safe.”
It was back to the drawing board.
“We ended up instituting something in the middle,” says Morrison. “Last year, we brought in volunteers who were knowledgeable about flowers to be gallery assistants.”
These neutral, third-party observers proved effective at their task and will return this year with a rigorous system in place. The museum will be organized into sections, and, three times a day, volunteers will be assigned to galleries to oversee the floral arrangements. They will be provided with supply kits containing all the necessary tools, including small scissors and tweezers for clipping stamens, bags to collect them, and adhesive tape, sticky putty, and paper towels to catch any fallen pollen.
Teamed with the early morning security patrols, and the attention of the many dedicated Friends who make Art in Bloom possible, there’s sure to be not a speck of pollen that escapes.
About Art in Bloom
Free and open to everyone, Art in Bloom showcases imaginative floral interpretations of selected works of art from Mia’s permanent collection, created by more than 100 individual and commercial florists. Experience the floral beauty and fragrance throughout the museum, take a free guided tour, and enjoy family-friendly activities.
Presented by the Friends of the Institute, this year’s four-day festival takes place April 24 to 27, 2025.