Art in Bloom 2010

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Art in Bloom 2010

Celebrating 27 Years of Timeless Art and Fresh Flowers

Minneapolis, April 14, 2010—Art in Bloom, the largest annual fund-raising event of the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), celebrates its twenty-seventh year with a Japanese theme. This perennial event, presented by the Friends of the Institute, brings together exquisite arrangements from top floral designers with masterworks from the museum’s collection. More than 160 floral interpretations, as well as lavish displays by commercial florists, will be on view April 29 through May 2, 2010. This exciting spring festival also offers daily guided tours, lectures, demonstrations, luncheon events, and the Art in Bloom gift shop. General admission is free; some events have a nominal fee.

A stunning eighteenth-century Japanese silk robe from the museum’s permanent collection serves as inspiration for this year’s theme. The garment, purchased by the MIA in 2006 with funds from Ellen Wells, this year’s honorary Art in Bloom chair, is a beautiful reddish color obtained from safflower dye and exquisitely embroidered with a floral pattern. Throughout the four-day event visitors will see the influence of Japanese arts in the events, activities, and many of the elegant floral creations.

Art in Bloom kicks off with a Gala Preview Party on Wednesday, April 28, featuring a silent auction, dinner, and live music. Presentations begin on Thursday, April 29, at
10 a.m., with keynote speaker Thomas Elias, Ph.D., retired director of the U.S. National Arboretum. In his lecture, “The Essence of Japanese Gardens,” Elias addresses the basic design principles of a classic Japanese garden, whose simple elegance is strikingly beautiful. Later that day, at 1:30 p.m., Wisconsin floral designer and teacher Kevin Ylvisaker, AIFD, PFCI, demonstrates how to use floral products to create clean, contemporary, Asian-inspired designs. On Friday, April 30, at 10 a.m. Soei Chieko Mihori, an internationally known Sogetsu Ikebana teacher, will complete several compositions using this sculptural floral-arranging style. Presentations for Art in Bloom will be held in Pillsbury auditorium.

In addition to daily guided tours of the floral arrangements, special Art in Bloom events include the popular Flowers After Hours on Thursday evening and a family event on Saturday. “Flowers After Hours: Hello Tokyo!” transports visitors into the world of Japanese pop culture with Fulbright scholar Frenchy Lunning, an author and professor of liberal arts at MCAD who has researched manga in Japan. From 5:30 to 9 p.m., guests can experience sake, Tokyo street fashion, anime movie shorts, and J-pop dance. Saturday’s family event centers around the children’s book Ten Oni Drummers, an imaginative rhyming story by Matthew Gollub. Storytelling, crafts, chalk drawing, and activities are offered from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Visitors can register online for Art in Bloom’s ticketed lectures, events, and lunches at http://www.artsmia.org/art-in-bloom-2010/. To reserve by phone, call (612) 870-3279. Reservations are recommended.

Through ticketed program activities, the retail shop, and donations and sponsorship, Art in Bloom has raised approximately $2.6 million over the past twenty-seven years. Funds raised are directed to the programs and operations of the Friends of the Institute, including the Friends’ Children’s Fund which provides for young people to experience and be inspired by the world of art.
About the Friends of the Institute
The Friends of the Institute is a volunteer group that works to broaden the influence of the Minneapolis Institute of Art by supporting its activities and forwarding its interests. Everyone who is a member of the MIA may become a member of the Friends. For more information, please contact the Friends Office at (612) 870-3045.

About the Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), home to one of the finest encyclopedic art collections in the country, houses more than 80,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history. Highlights of the permanent collection include European masterworks by Rembrandt, Poussin, and van Gogh; modern and contemporary painting and sculpture by Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, Stella, and Close; as well as internationally significant collections of prints and drawings, decorative arts, Modernist design, photographs, textiles, and Asian, African, and Native American art. General admission is always free. Some special exhibitions have a nominal admission fee. Museum hours: Sunday, 11 A.M.–5 P.M.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 A.M.–5 P.M.; Thursday, 10 A.M.–9 P.M.; Monday closed. For more information, call (612) 870-3131 or visit www.artsmia.org.
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Press contacts: Tammy Pleshek, P.R. Specialist
(612) 870-3171; tpleshek@artsmia.org

Anne-Marie Wagener, P.R. Director
(612) 870-3280; awagener@artsmia.org