MIA Kicks Off Spring With 35th Annual Art In Bloom

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — "Thirty-five years ago, it wasn’t like this," Art in Bloom co-chair Lezlie Pinske tells Patch. It's a Thursday night, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art is packed, abuzz with art-goes of all ages and backgrounds.

Filled with floral arrangements inspired by MIA-owned works of art, the halls of the South Minneapolis museum smell more like spring than almost anything outside.

On April 26, the MIA hosted its 35th annual Art in Bloom festival. "It’s a community celebration of spring," co-chair Barbara Proeschel says.

Why this late April event is so popular should be obvious to anyone who spent the first weeks of "spring" in Minnesota this year. Art in Bloom was held less than 14 days after one of Minnesota’s largest snowstorms on record.

"As soon as you come in, you can smell the flowers," says Pinske. "We have 165 floral arrangements that are interpreting works of art."

Why 165? That’s the precise number of pedestals MIA has available for use. The museum is full to the brim with flowers.

What does one find at Art in Bloom?

Florists — from professionals to amateurs — design arrangements inspired by one of the pieces in the museum's collection. The theme of each arrangement is entirely up to the artist.

"Flowers are one of the most important aspects of my life," says Cana Potter, who designed her piece after the MIA’s "Frankfurt Kitchen."

"At the end of 2017, I quite all my other jobs so that I could focus full time on my business."

Potter now runs MuseFlora, a customized subscription-based service that strives to create "engaging fresh cut floral arrangements and outdoor container gardens."

The Frankfurt Kitchen, designed by architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, was a mass-produced apartment style built to ease Germany’s housing shortage after World War I.

"I was thinking about the woman who would live in this space," Potter told Patch. "Everything in there has dual purpose."

The Frankfurt Kitchen was exceedingly practical, featuring everything from a movable ceiling light fixture to a mounted ironing board.

Potter’s floral arrangement — made with flowers that would have been available to a war widow — is intended to be a contrast to the stark, businesslike atmosphere of the kitchen.

"This is where she finds her joy," says Potter. "It’s abundant on purpose."

Art in Bloom is not only the unofficial start of Minnesota's spring, it’s also the largest fundraiser for "the Friends of the Institute," which supports the mission of MIA.

One of its primary works is providing free transportation and tours to metro and outstate schools, both public and private.

Proceeds from the four-day festival provide the Friends of the Institute with funds to bring more than 81,000 children to the museum each year, and provide off-site arts education to nearly 93,000 pre-K–Grade 12 students.

"Many times these kids have never been to a museum, so it’s a nice exposure for them," notes Pinske.

Photos by William Bornhoft/Patch