NEW ORLEANS—On a misty morning, Art in Bloom return the New Orleans Museum of Art after a year off because of COVID-19. Art in Bloom has been around for 31 years and is one of the premiere social events of spring in New Orleans. It’s a fundraiser that benefits educational projects at NOMA and the Garden Study Club of New Orleans.
Margaux Krane is Director of Brand and Communications at NOMA and relishes Art in Bloom, saying “you get to see everybody come in and set up and there’s sort of frenzy in the air. This year’s theme is Home Grown. The idea is to celebrate all of the beauty you can create at home. A lot of us have been stuck in our homes for the past year and have been forced to be a little more creative. Home Grown also speaks to the designers using Louisiana’s native plants.”
This year there are 75 exhibitors. This year’s event, which normally is in March, opens two months later. One of the long time participants is Urban Earth Studios: Event, Wedding and Floral Designers. They have created several masterpieces on behalf of businesses and companies in the city.
Darren Isabelle is a designer at Urban Earth and explains the design of one of their creations for this year; a display on behalf of a shop on Magazine street. Isabelle delights in the chance to break away from wedding design, saying “this is for the boutique SOSUSU. This will be a countertop with shoes, purses and accessories; all done out of flowers! It’s not a competition, but even if there’s no competition, everybody wants to win! You want to be remembered.”
Joe Mazzotta is with Mardi Gras World/Kern Studios and they commissioned a piece designed after one of the biggest parties on earth. “This design represents a Mardi Gras Ball. It’s complete with beads and everything you can imagine. It has purple, green and gold flowers,” says Mazotta.
The general public can enjoy Art in Bloom from May 6th through May 9th.