16th Art in Bloom to Usher in Spring

 Art in Bloom is a community event that displays artwork generated by Norwood and Walpole High School students coupled with interpretative floral designs created by members of the Norwood Evening Garden Club. This year marks the 16th year of this high school/garden club collaboration.

The Morrill Memorial Library at 33 Walpole Street in Norwood will host Art in Bloom for the first time on Saturday, April 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday April 3 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend to support the student artists. Registration is not required to attend this special Art in Bloom event.

 Library Director, Clayton Cheever, said, “We are pleased to be part of the garden club’s annual “rite of spring” and look forward to seeing the students’ artwork coupled with their expression in flowers. After a tough couple of years with Covid, the event will be a colorful welcome to spring and help to brighten people’s spirits.”

Lois Walsh, President of the Norwood Evening Garden Club and Co-chair of Art in Bloom, said: “Twenty pieces of art have been distributed to garden club designers via a lottery system. I can’t wait to see the floral designs that our members create. Some of the interpretations will be challenging, but I expect that the members’ arrangements will be as creative as the artwork itself.” 

 Dr. Sheela Venkatesh, Co-chair of Art in Bloom and a past participant in Boston’s MFA Art in Bloom event said, “We really missed being able to have this event last year and are excited to be able to share it with the public again this year. Many of our members do not consider themselves floral designers, but I believe that each year they put forth increasingly beautiful designs, some of which are worthy of Boston MFA’s Art in Bloom after which the exhibit is patterned.”

Garden club members who will create floral designs are: Shirley Booth, Pat Connell, Susan Cosman, Nancy Costa, Elaine Damren, Deb Devine, Lorraine Devine, Tracy Firth, Lynn Fordham, MaryEllen Heike, Judith Howard, Sabrina Kager, Donna Lane, Laura Lee, Janice Mullen, Kathleen Pellegrini, Sheela Venkatesh, Lois Walsh, Debbie Wells, and Wendy Wilhelm. 

Along with their artwork, each student submitted a paragraph about their assignment to help the arranger understand the intent of their piece, how they approached it and the mediums they used to create it.

 Students from Norwood High School whose art will be interpreted are: Katelyn Flynne, Katherine McLeish, Samantha Gale, Audrey Habelin, Sarah Hawks, William Morrissey, Barrett Kenny, Davion Harnett, Grace O’Rourke and Natalia Donnelly.

Participating Walpole High School artists include: Elyse D’Amato, Kristyn Dentremont, Colleen Finn, Sophia Kaselis, Morgan Navick, Lily Nguyen, Myah Evora Shelton, Eve Roddy, Shivani Mandulapalli and Alison Strickland.

A member of The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, New England Garden Clubs, and National Garden Clubs, Inc., members of the Norwood Evening Garden Club have been providing education and public beautification in Norwood and its surrounding communities since 1996. The Club, open to novice and expert gardeners, draws its members from Norwood, Walpole, Westwood, Dedham, Medfield and Randolph.  For information about the Norwood Evening Garden Club, visit www.NorwoodEveningGardenClub.com.