Another Successful Art in Bloom

On April 7, 8 and 9, the George H. Morse House was bustling with activity as the Norwood Evening Garden Club opened its annual Art in Bloom exhibit.
This is the 14th year the garden club has produced Art in Bloom. Originally conceived by Ann Malachowski, former Art Director of the Norwood schools, and myself, Donna Lane, a founding member and former president of the garden club, the exhibit was patterned after the Museum of Arts’ Boston Art in Bloom.
Each year, students from Norwood and Walpole High Schools are given varying assignments from their art instructors. Lori Meade-McGrory, Norwood Visual Arts Department Chair, and Sandy Allison, Walpole High School’s Visual Arts Department Head coordinated this year’s exhibit with the garden club. Each school has a different method of selecting student artwork, which ranges from self-portraits to landscapes, block prints, sculptures and still-lifes, among others.
The first visitor to arrive was student artist Ryan Garczynski, a senior at Norwood High School and the Fine Arts Advisor for the class of 2018. Ryan’s classes include AP drawing and 3-D design. His submission was done with pen and ink on paper in what’s called a stippling technique. He explained that a lot of stippling is now done on computers but his was done by hand. Ryan plans to study architecture at Savannah College of Art & Design.
Caroline Pannes has visited Art in Bloom nearly every year since its inception.
“Art in Bloom gets better and better every year!” Pannes said.
Executive Director of the Morse House Dale Day, fully agreed with her assessment and appears is the prevailing sentiment of repeat visitors.
This free community event, which is supported in part by a grant from the Norwood Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, continues to attract residents of Norwood and Walpole, but also attracts a surprising number of people from other towns. Guests from more than 20 communities came to see this year’s exhibit.
“It was very gratifying to see so many students this year – both the artists and their classmates, " Club President and Art in Bloom Chairman Nancy Costa said. "I also enjoyed interacting with the middle school students on Monday. I get a real kick out of them. They really seem to like the concept of people using flowers to interpret artwork.”
Students who participated from Norwood High School were: Tegan Bartlett, Nathan Brown, Ryan Garczyski, Elena LeSavage, Emily Moran, Sarah Mouhiddan, Dagney Overbey, Sean Pugatch, Rajeev Relangi, Kayla Rowan, Mya Tomlinson Zena Watfa, and Amelia Wilson.
Walpole High School participants were: Christine Adamidis, Danielle Borelli, Lucy Gielow, Lauryn Hallet, Lauren Jackman, Ava Jingozian, Katerina Konstas, Jenna McDonald, Rachel Smith, Ava Straccia, Brianna Vitelli, and Leah Whearty.
Garden club members who created floral interpretations include: Ann Marie Bielenin, Norma Black, Vivian Bouffard, Susan Cosman. Nancy Costa, Elaine Damren, Lorraine Devine, Tracy Firth, Lynn Fordham, Barbara Hopcroft, Judith Howard, Penni Jenkins, Donna Lane, Laura Lee, Janice Mullen, Kathleen Pellegrini, Ana Puzey, Lynne Riley, Jim Schulz, Tracy Spellman, Janet Taylor, Sheela Venkatesh, Lois Walsh, Debbie Wells, and Wendy Wilhelm.
Donna Lane is a Norwood-based writer, lecturer and designer. You can reach her at [email protected]. All photographs were taken by Sheela Venkatesh.