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Sunday, April 17th, I visited the Fitchburg Massachusetts Art Museum for their Art in Bloom event. Until I saw the listing for this event, I didn’t even know that Fitchburg had an art museum. It’s located in the north end of Fitchburg, with a lovely downtown of small shops and restaurants.
The Fitchburg Art Museum is a gem! It’s small enough that you can see everything without feeling wiped out at the end. And yet it has a diverse collection of artwork, antiquities, and cultural artifacts spanning many centuries and continents. Besides the usual collection of European and American paintings (which I gravitate towards), it also has a fabulous African art exhibit. The museum makes an effort to educate the viewer about the culture of the people who created these ritual pieces (such as masks) and everyday items (such as stools).
The floral arrangers from area garden clubs did an exceptional job of picking up the theme or feel of a specific painting or artifact and translating that into an interesting arrangement. There were 26 arrangements, which for a small museum was amazing.
Here are some of my favorites:
A Dark Day in June, painting by Gustave Adolph Wiegand, arrangement by Mary Dunn of the Laurelwood Garden Club. Flowers: Button Mum, Fern, Mini-Carnation, Statice, various greens including Pittosporum, Plumosa, Preserved Mosses, Winter Azalea
Portrait of Doris, painting by George Bellows, arrangement by Anne Descoteaux and Maureen Liberatore of the Fitchburg Art Museum. Flowers: Curly Willow, Freesia, Lemon Leaf, Mokara Orchid, Ranunculus, Spray Rose, Star of Bethlehem, Stock, Trachelium, Veronica
Sunlit Moraine, painting by Paul Dougherty, arrangement by Grace McWalter of the Laurelwood Garden Club. Flowers: Artichoke, Aster, Berzelia, Limonium, Oyster, Trichelium
Mossi People, arrangement by Kay Previte of the Laurelwood Garden Club. Flowers: Eucalyptus, Mini-Carnations, Poms, Sanserveria
Statue of Ganesha, arrangement by Jo Ferrell of Laurelwood Garden Club. Flowers: Curly Willow, Flax, Kangaroo Paw, King Protea, Monstera, Seeded Eucalyptus, Sugarbush Protea
Songye Kifwebe Mask (forgot to get a picture of this), arrangement by Thelma H.Shoneman of the Acton Garden Club. Flowers: Galax, Horse Tail, Kallithea, Lipstick, Maraca, Sago Palm