Boston Museum Of Fine Arts Celebrate Return Of Spring With Virtual Edition Of Annual Art In Bloom Festival Of Art And Flowers

Press release from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston:

March 29, 2021

BOSTON (MARCH 29, 2021)—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), celebrates the return of spring with a virtual edition of its 45th annual Art in Bloom (Friday, April 30–Monday, May 3, 2021), a festival that pairs art from across the collection with floral interpretations created by 27 New England-area garden clubs. This year’s festival is themed around artworks that tell the stories of women across the Museum’s collection—from images of mothers and motherhood throughout the ages to works by great women artists such as Mary Cassatt and Helen Frankenthaler. In addition to a selection of themed on-demand guided tours available to watch on mfa.org and livestreamed private interactive tours conducted via Zoom, program highlights include free instructional videos from local floral and event designer Jimmy Guzman on mastering arrangements at home. The festival, hosted at the Museum for more than 40 years, is presented by the MFA Associates, a group of dedicated volunteers who lead gallery tours and create flower arrangements throughout the year.

Art in Bloom is sponsored by the Arbella Insurance Foundation. Additional support from Wilmington Trust, part of the M&T Bank Family, and Fitch Law Partners.

Led by a team of MFA Associate art and floral guides, three recorded guided tours invite online visitors to experience Art in Bloom on their own schedule during the festival weekend. Free for members—and available for purchase individually for nonmembers at $10 each—these 45-minute videos feature nine works from the MFA’s collection alongside the floral arrangements inspired by the art. The tours are offered in three themes: Mothers, Women Artists and Women through Time: Grace and Power. Tickets will be released on April 15 at 10 am and tours will be available to view on mfa.org from Friday, April 30 through Monday, May 3. Livestreamed private interactive tours conducted via Zoom—accommodating up to 97 participants and offered in the same selection of themes—will provide Art in Bloom supporters the chance to convene a group to enjoy a one-hour presentation with MFA Associate art and floral guides. Private interactive tours are priced at $400 and tickets are currently available on mfa.org.

In the spirit of the Art in Bloom Market—typically hosted in the MFA’s Shapiro Family Courtyard during the festival each year—the MFA Shop website will present a three-day digital marketplace featuring curated selections from a variety of vendors. An expanded Art in Bloom webpage on mfa.org will feature two free how-to videos produced by local floral and event designer Jimmy Guzman, who will share his insights on mastering floral arrangements at home using materials available at local grocery stores. To complement online offerings this year, Guzman will create a floral extravaganza on site at the MFA’s Huntington Entrance to delight visitors and passersby. Three additional arrangements by MFA Associate floral designers will be on display at the Museum during the festival weekend. Other free offerings on mfa.org include a slideshow presenting favorite arrangements from past Art in Blooms, chosen by and featuring reflections from New England-area garden club members and MFA Associates.

This press release was produced by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The views expressed are the author's own.