Calusa Garden Club Art in Bloom Exhibit

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island held a flower show entitled “Art in Bloom” on Friday, April 19, in connection with Marco Island Center for the Arts Adult Student Show and the Marco Island Academy student show. The Chairperson of the event was club President, Kimberly Korb Porter. There were over twenty club members entering floral designs to interpret the pieces of art on display. The media used by the artists in the pieces interpreted by club members’ floral designs included sculpture, painting, photographs, and weaving. 

Part of the charm of the visit to the Art in Bloom was the opportunity to vote on the viewer’s favorite pieces. The votes were tallied for “People’s Choice Awards,”  with awards given for first place, second place, and four honorable mentions. First Place was Bonnie Colman with a traditional design in purples and yellow interpreting a landscape painting. Second place was a miniature design of lavender and purple that reflected the colors of garden club member Nanette Baumgardner’s beautiful woven shawl. The runners-up for the People’s Choice awards were Elizabeth Haines Papagiannis, whose green and white design suggests reflected trees in a painting; Lindy Kowalczyk, whose creative design contained the colors and round shapes of a watermelon painting; Audrina Flowers, whose underwater design reflected the round shapes and colors of a painting of fish; and Diane Chestnut, whose design of blue hydrangeas mimicked a painting of blueberries.  

The People’s Choice Awards were augmented by three awards chosen by Flower Show Judge Connie Lowery. Lowery awarded a miniature design category award to Linda Spell, a traditional design category award to Bonnie Colman, and a creative design category award to Sara Wolf who interpreted a photograph of curving tree roots.

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island is an IRC Section 501(c)3 organization and is a member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs. Membership is open to persons interested in horticulture, floral design and environmental matters residing 5 months or more in Collier County. The Club meets the second Monday of each month, October through April at Rose Hall at Marco Island Library. Persons interested in membership should contact the Garden Club through its website, calusa.org. For information on Club activities, visit the Club’s Facebook page Calusa Garden Club.