In a sure sign that spring is approaching, Milwaukee Art Museum has announced that this year’s installment of the annual Art in Bloom will run Thursday, April 18 through Sunday, April 21.
Nearly 30 floral installations inspired by works of art in the MAM collection will be on display throughout the art museum galleries during the long weekend event. The displays are created by floral and landscape designers and gardeners from around the region.
"We are excited for Art in Bloom to return to the Museum’s campus,” said MAM's Chief Experience Officer Scott Schwebel.
“Guests will be delighted by new experiences woven throughout the weekend and enjoy the abundant feeling of spring at this signature event.”
Programming tied to the event includes the Floral Fashion Party, Friday night at 7 p.m., in beautiful Windhover Hall. The event, in partnership with Fashion Fest MKE, features a runway show with gowns created by collaborating floral and fashion designers.
Floral designers choose an artwork and then create an arrangement inspired by their selection.
The 28 works selected by participating designers include The Horseman (1966) by Marc Chagall, Untitled (2019) by Katharina Grosse, Saidah (Fortunate) and Sauda (Dark Beauty) from Afrikando (2017) by Jaime Hayon, Black Magic (Magique Noir) (ca. 1946–47) by Hector Hyppolite, and Edge of England (1999) by Cornelia Parker, among others.
The arrangements are then judged for an awards announcement event on Thursday, April 18, 6 p.m., in Lubar Auditorium. People's Choice Awards will be announced throughout the event on the Art Museum website.
There will also be an indoor garden, live music, florists' demonstrations, a wine bar on Saturday evening and more.
"We look forward to celebrating the onset of spring at the Milwaukee Art Museum, a time when visitors will have the opportunity to marvel at the unique ways in which arrangements by talented local florists reinterpret and pay tribute to iconic works from the Museum’s collection,” said MAM's Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director Marcelle Polednik, PhD.
Complete details of Art in Bloom events can be found here.
Art is Bloom is included in regular Art Museum admission, which is $31 for adults, $25 for seniors, students, teachers and military, $10 for members of the museum and free for children 12 and under.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
