Jan Stoffels is the overall coordinator, and Karen Banfield is chairing the exhibition of floral designs. Deann Coop and Sue Knipe are the chairs of “Flowers After Hours,” and Linda Dow, Marian Yon Maguire, and Rhonda Sanderford are chairing the luncheon. For reservations to “Flowers After Hours” and the Art in Bloom Luncheon, please contact Liz Curry: elizabethcurry@aol.com or 727.823.3798. Carol Russell is President of The Stuart Society.
The exciting Art in Bloom 2016 schedule follows:
Thursday, April 7: Art in Bloom 2016 opens to the public from 1-8 p.m. Museum admission is only $5 after 5 p.m. on Thursday. Flowers After Hours, 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $85 per person. Be one of the first to view the inventive floral designs and enjoy sumptuous hors d’oeuvres; cocktails, including a signature drink; wine; and jazz in the Marly Room and Membership Garden. Images of works from the collection, along with recipes from Food + Art and unique floral designs, will decorate each serving station.
Alexandre Renoir, the great-grandson of the legendary French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, will be the guest of honor. His famous family also includes film director Jean Renoir, actor Pierre Renoir, director of photography Claude Renoir Jr., and his daughter actress Sophie Renoir, to name a few. Born in 1974 in the south of France, Mr. Renoir moved with his family to Canada at the age of four. He revealed his talent early, graduating from the Victoria School of the Arts and taking classes at the Royal Alberta Museum, both in Edmonton. He studied a variety of media, even ceramics and woodworking, and started designing jewelry for a family venture. He later turned to charcoal drawing and painting, demonstrating the influence of French Impressionism. His work is now in private collections around the world. Mr. Renoir will make comments and greet patrons during “Flowers After Hours.”
Friday, April 8: Art in Bloom continues at the MFA from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The flowers will be refreshed each day. Art in Bloom Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Grand Ballroom of the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club. Tickets: $90 per person. Local floral designers will welcome patrons to the luncheon with demonstrations inspired by the Museum’s popular painting Jule Lebrun as Flora (1799) by her mother Elisabeth-Louise Vigée-Lebrun. They will respond to the question: How would you welcome Vigée-Lebrun back to the Museum? This prized work is currently in the artist’s first retrospective, Vigée-Lebrun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France, now on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, one of the country’s top lifestyle and entertaining experts, will share tips, including on floral design, at the luncheon. Based in Dallas, she is the author of seven books, including Monograms for the Home: The Art of Making Your Mark (her most recent), Wedding Inspiration, The Party Planner: An Expert Organizing Guide for Entertaining, and even Dog Parties: Entertaining Your Party Animal. She is Editor-at-Large for Southern Living, one of the most successful magazines in the country.
Mrs. Whitman is truly a lifestyle entrepreneur, having developed a national following. She has made countless TV appearances and has become a Today show favorite. She is a regular on Dallas TV and radio and on the Style Network’s Whose Wedding is it Anyway? She has been featured in Vanity Fair, Elle, Vogue, Modern Bride, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.
A young civic leader and philanthropist, Mrs. Whitman was named Volunteer of the Year by the American Heart Association, one of her many awards. She holds her BA in art history with honors from Southern Methodist University and completed further study in art connoisseurshipat Christie’s, New York.
Saturday, April 9: Everyone can enjoy the fantastic floral designs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, April 10: Art in Bloom has extended hours from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Conversations with the Designers, noon-2 p.m. No reservations required. Valet parking. Come early, as this event always draws large crowds. Floral designers will be in the galleries to discuss their creations, inspiration, and techniques. Artist Babs Reingold will be a special guest and will talk about two “Hair Doodles” from her series Fallout: Beauty Lost and Found. Floral designer Gretchen Ward Warren will answer questions about her Ikebana arrangement in response to Ms. Reingold’s work. Benjamin Cobb and Martin Rosol will introduce their glass art in the Marly Room at 3 p.m. as part of “Hot Gatherings, Cool Conversations.” Have brunch in the MFA Café and spend the day at the Museum.
Monday, April 11: Last day to see Art in Bloom 2016 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Contemporaries Lunchtime Lecture, noon $5 (lecture only), plus MFA admission $10 (lecture and lunch) for Contemporaries members $15 (lecture and lunch) for nonmembers of The Contemporaries Lunch reservations must be made by 3 p.m. the Friday before the lecture by calling 727.896.2667, ext. 210. Babs Reingold, who lives in St. Petersburg, will discuss her work more fully in the Marly Room. She is known for both her talent and range. She has produced paintings, drawings, sculpture, and room-sized installations. Her work is part of the collections of the Newark Museum in New Jersey and the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. She also has two monoprints and one drawing in the MFA collection.