Led by Emerald Necklace docent Barbara Balasa, this informal talk on Sunday, March 2, from 1 – 2:30, focuses on all things coniferous and will feature a hands-on exhibit of a variety of cones from North America, including the infamous “widow-maker.†The program begins at the Shattuck Visitor Center located in the Back Bay Fens across the street from the Museum of Fine Arts, and is free and open to the public. Image from www.travelinggardener.com.
Patrick Blanc, the inventor of the gravity-defying vertical garden, tells the story of his lifelong passion for botanical pursuits, and reveals his methods for transforming naked walls with nature, in a lecture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, on Wednesday, April 24, from 7 – 8. Blanc changes the way the public considers architecture and landscape design. Book signing follows. Tickets are $15 for MFA members, seniors and students, and $18 for non members. Purchase tickets at www.mfa.org, or call 1-800-440-6975.
The Japan Society of Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston present The 2013 Rad Smith Program in Art: Celebrating 550 Years of Ikenobo Ikebana, featuring 45th Generation Headmaster Sen’ei Ikenobo and 46th Generation Headmaster Designate Yuki Ikenobo, on Sunday, March 10, from 3 – 4:30 at the Remis Auditorium of the Museum of Fine Arts. Commemorate the auspicious occasion of the 550th year since Ikenobo, a highlight of Japanese aesthetics, first appeared in public records. Ikenobo is the original school fo Ikebana, Japanese traditional flower arranging. The 45th Generation Headmaster, Sen’ei Ikenobo, talks briefly about Ikebana and Japanese traditional culture, and 46th Generation Headmaster Designate, Yuki Ikenobo, presents an Ikebana demonstration. Followed by a Mawari-ike ceremony, a traditional Ikebana-judged competition. Tickets ($15 MFA members, seniors and students, $18 non members) are available on line at www.mfa.org.
British floral designer Paula Pryke is known worldwide for her cutting edge, innovative floristry. An inspiration to novices and experts alike, she speaks across the US and in Europe and Japan. Her clientele includes celebrities, royalty, film set designers, and luxury cruise lines. She has run an internationally renowned flower show school since 1994 and has written 14 best-selling books on flowers. Her newest book, Flowers Every Day, was published in February 2012. She will hold two separate master classes at The Museum of Fine Arts as part of this year’s Art in Bloom. These hands-on flower arranging instruction sessions will take place Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, from 10:30 – 12:30, with each class size limited to 22. $200 for each session, and you may register on line at www.mfa.org.
Coming soon! Celebrate spring at this annual festival of fine art and fresh flowers. See the MFA’s galleries transformed by almost 70 extraordinary arrangements inspired by magnificent works of art. Art in Bloom is free with Museum admission; no reservations are required to see the floral arrangements and participate in most of the programs. The Garden Club of the Back Bay will be represented this year by Donna Morrissey, ably assisted by Barbara Batting. For complete scheduling information, visit www.mfa.org.
The 2012 Esther Steinberg Memorial Architecture Lecture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will take place Wednesday, March 14, beginning at 7 pm in the Remis Auditorium at the MFA. Robert Hammond, co-founder and executive director, Friends of the High Line, will share the story of how the High Line, a new public park atop an elevated freight rail structure in Manhattan, became an innovative urban reclamation project. Hammond and his co-founder collaborated with neighbors, elected officials, artists, local business owners, and leaders in horticulture and landscape architecture, to create a park celebrated as a model for creatively designed, socially vibrant, ecologically sound public space. A book signing follows. This is a ticketed event ($15 MFA members, $18 others) and tickets may be reserved by calling 1-800-440-6975, going in person to the Remis Auditorium box office at the Museum, or visiting www.mfa.org. Because this event will undoubtedly sell out, we recommend buying tickets early.
The Friends of the Gibson House Museum cordially invite you to their Fifteenth Annual Benefit on Wednesday, March 30, from 6 – 8, at The Algonquin Club, 217 Commonwealth Avenue, honoring Erica Hirshler, Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Enjoy cocktails, jazz trio, raffle and live auction, with proceeds benefiting the preservation of the Gibson House Museum. Auction items will include a special tour for 8 at the New Wing of the MFA with Elliot Bostwick Davis, John Moors Cabot Chair of the MFA’s Art of the America’s Department, Asian cooking classes with dinner in a Back Bay home, a special trip to Williamsburg, baseball tickets, wine, and much more. Tickets are $125 per person in advance, $150 at the door, and you may reserve by sending a check made out to The Gibson Society, Inc. to the Gibson House Museum, 137 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116. For more information, call 617-267-6338, or email info@thegibsonhouse.org.
Beth Shalom Garden Club and the Needham High School Fine Arts Department proudly announce Needham’s Art in Bloom 2011, which will be held during the weekend of March 4 – 6 at multiple locations in Needham, Massachusetts. Beth Shalom Garden Club co-chair Sue Kaplan said “It really appeals to everyone – art lovers, flower lovers, seniors, students, couples, families with young children…everyone!†This free, multi-generational exhibit will feature mixed media student artwork accompanied by floral interpretations designed by members of the Beth Shalom Garden Club. This year’s event has been generously sponsored by Roche Bros.
Needham’s Art in Bloom was modeled after the annual springtime exhibit Art in Bloom presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston. Beth Shalom Garden Club’s goal was to organize a community event that would engage people of all ages, interests, and life experiences. In June 2010, the Garden Club Federation of MA, Inc. awarded the state’s SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to Beth Shalom Garden Club for it’s successful creation and execution of Needham’s Art in Bloom. The exhibit, now in it’s third year has become a well-received annual event. Last year, over a thousand people filled the Needham Public Library during the weekend long exhibit.
This year there will be special Tercentennial component of Needham’s Art in Bloom in celebration of town’s 300th birthday. Floral interpretations of notable Needham artists W.C. Wyeth and Giovanni Costano as well as notable Needham authors will be on display in the Bosworth and Wyeth rooms at the library. The Needham Exchange Club and Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) have generously funded this special exhibit.
The weekend’s schedule is as follows: On Friday, March 4th from 12-4, a few pieces of the exhibit will be on display in the Needham High School lobby and also at the Needham Senior Center providing a taste of what’s to come. On Saturday, March 5th from 9:00am to 5:00pm and on Sunday, March 6th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm the complete exhibit will be on display throughout the Needham Public Library.
If further information is needed please contact either co-chair:
Sue Kaplan, Beth Shalom Co-Chair    Allison Shapiro, Beth Shalom Co-Chair
SueKflowers@yahoo.com LATDShapiro@rcn.com
Phone: 781-444-6085Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Phone: 781-453-9880
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston will hold a Flower Arranging Member Event Wednesday, August 4, from 11 am – 12:30 pm in the Riley Seminar Room. Flower arranging demonstrations will be ongoing – drop in anytime during this event. Get fresh ideas on how to realize the fine art of floral arranging at home from members of the MFA’s acclaimed flower team. Stop by for a few tips or stay the full 90 minutes for an abundance of creative ideas. Free tickets are required and available in person, online (www.mfa.org) or by phone on the day of the event beginning at 10 am. Ticket limit is based on general admission privileges of membership. If you are not already a member, you may join on line ($75 individual membership) or in person.
Olivier Giugni will present a floral demonstration and illustrated lecture at the Remis Auditorium of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on Monday , April 26, from 10:30 – noon, followed by a Master Class from 1:30 – 3:30 pm, as part of the MFA’s Art in Bloom. Oliver Giugni owns two sleek floral design boutiques in New York City, aptly named L’Olivier. His dramatic arrangements draw rave reviews from the worlds of fashion and fine arts, gracing world-renowned restaurants, grand hotels, weddings and social events.
Tickets for each event ($35 for the morning demonstration and lecture, $200 for the Master Class, limited to 20 people) may be obtained on line at www.mfa.org/tickets, or by calling 617-369-3306.
