Former White House Chief Florist and author Laura Dowling, garden and floral designer and author James Farmer, musician Jeremy Davenport, and New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Indians are among the talent set to participate in the 29th annual Art in Bloom at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Themed Rhythm & Blooms as a tribute to the integral role music plays in New Orleans’ culture, the annual springtime celebration of floral arrangements, educational programs and social events is set for March 15 – 19. The event is presented by IBERIABANK.
NOMA’s Quincy Crawford and The Garden Study Club’s Sarah Feirn are co-chairing Rhythm & Blooms. “We are lucky to have so many artists — both musical and visual — in New Orleans, and even luckier to have so many of them represented in this year’s Art in Bloom: Rhythm & Blooms,” says Crawford. “We can’t wait to see how music, flowers and art come together in this beautiful event. It’s truly a celebration of New Orleans’ vibrant arts culture, and the beginning of spring in the city!”
James Farmer and Laura Dowling
James Farmer is a lifestyle expert, garden, floral and interior designer, and author of A Time to Plant, Sip & Savor, Porch Living, Wreaths For All Seasons, A Time To Cook, Dinner on the Grounds and A Time To Celebrate. In addition, Farmer is editor-at-large for Southern Living and a frequent guest on television and radio.
Laura Dowling is a floral designer, former White House chief florist from 2009–2015, and author of Floral Diplomacy. She is renowned for creating a new romantic style of flower arranging featuring free-flowing lines of vines and flowers emanating from a classical bouquet.
In collaboration with The Garden Study Club, this five-day event showcases more than 100 exhibitors of spectacular floral designs. Proceeds benefit educational projects and exhibitions at NOMA, and community projects of the Garden Study Club of New Orleans. Recipients of Garden Study Club grants include the New Orleans Botanical Garden, Long Vue House and Gardens, the historic parterre garden at the Beauregard-Keyes House, rain gardens at City Park, and the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden.
Hundreds gather for Art in Bloom in NOMA’s atrium.
The annual Art in Bloom Patron Party, one of the spring’s premier social events in New Orleans, and the subsequent Preview Party, will be held Wednesday, March 15, with entertainment from Joe Simon’s Jazz Music and the Trinity Episcopal School Honor Choir. The popular Art In Bloom lecture series and the annual Art in Bloom luncheon and fashion show are scheduled for the following day, Thursday, March 16.
One of the distinguishing elements of the Patron Party is the silent auction, which will, for the first time ever, feature an online component, allowing art enthusiasts from all over to bid on the unique pieces. Contributing artists include Hunt Slonem, Raine Bedsole, and George Dunbar, whose works and career were recently celebrated in a comprehensive retrospective at NOMA, titled George Dunbar: Elements of Chance.
Sponsorship and tickets may be purchased at the museum website.