Flore Fine Flowers to Exhibit at Wadsworth Museum's Fine Arts & Flowers Showcase April 19-21

Floral designer and Newtown resident, Lori Friedlander, owner of Floré Fine Flowers in Woodbury, Connecticut is one of 70 select floral arrangers that have been invited to participate in the 32nd Annual Fine Arts & Flowers fund-raising event at the world-class Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut from April 19 to 21, 2013. A European-style eco-friendly floral design studio, Floré Fine Flowers will create a complementary floral interpretation of a world-renowned masterpiece from Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art’s permanent collection of masterworks that include paintings from the Hudson River School, European Renaissance and Baroque, Impressionism, mid-Century Modern, American and Contemporary genres. The Fine Arts & Flowers showcase, presented by the all-volunteer Women’s Committee of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, is a weekend long event during which florists, garden clubs and floral arrangers use masterworks from the museum's collection to create complementary floral interpretations using live flowers, greenery and plant materials. Selected works of art include paintings, sculpture, porcelain and decorative arts. In 2012, the event attracted over 3,000 visitors who delighted in the imaginative designs created by the 70 participating designers. “It is truly an honor to be invited to participate in this highly-prestigious floral and fine art showcase. It is very exciting to have been invited to interpret a masterpiece.” Friedlander will interpret into a floral arrangement “Prescience”, a painting by 20th century artist Roberto Matta. A Surrealist painter, Matta greatly influenced the early development of Abstract Expressionism and considered Yves Tanguy, a notable French Surrealist painter, who later became a Woodbury, Connecticut resident, as an early influence. “Prescience, and the works of Matta are certainly far from what I would consider my “wheelhouse”, but I welcome the challenge and I am looking forward to being pushed out of my familiar design comfort zone”. Friedlander added, “Although, I do feel a kindred sort of connection learning that Matta was influenced by an artist who later called Woodbury, Connecticut home.” For this unique project, Friedlander will be collaborating on the project with a fellow floral artist and longtime friend, Christopher Isaacson. Friedlander commented, "Christopher’s floral arranging style is more in keeping with the abstract subject matter of the assigned artwork.” Isaacson added, "Our dual approach to creating the floral arrangement will be very ying and yang by nature. While Lori is always anchored with the task at hand, I love to creatively experiment and defy floral limits." The Wadsworth Atheneum’s Fine Arts and Flowers salute to spring showcase will run Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 21, 2013. Hours are Friday, 11 am to 5 pm and Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Special events will also be held throughout the weekend including a farm-to-table dinner on Friday, April 19th from 6:00 to 9:00 pm with Honorary Chair Faith Middleton of WNPR, and nationally-recognized New York floral designer Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua. Tickets for this special event cost $95. Featured on Saturday, April 20 from 11 am to 2 pm will be “Garden Talk”, a luncheon and book signing with renowned garden and lifestyle expert Mar Jennings for $75. The weekend will wrap up on Sunday, April 21 with a Jazz Brunch from 11 am to 1 pm that will feature The Green Jazz Band and two seating’s at 11 am and 12:30 pm in the Museum Cafe. Costs are $38, and $28 for members. Reservations are recommended, for tickets call 860-838-4100 or purchase tickets online at www.wadsworthatheneum.org/flowers. The Wadsworth Atheneum is located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, Connecticut and can be reached at 860-278-2670. Floré Fine Flowers’ European-style flower market features eco-friendly floral designs arranged with exquisite artistry for weddings, events, holidays and everyday occasions. Conveniently nestled in Woodbury’s Middle Quarter Mall, Floré Fine Flowers is just 7 minutes from exit 15, Route 84 at 710 Main Street South in Woodbury. They can be contacted by telephone at 203-405-1760 or visit www.flowersasmedicine.com.