The Wadsworth Atheneum celebrates spring this weekend with the 33rd annual Fine Art and Flowers event, a fundraiser for the Hartford museum. It's a unique concept: over 40 florists and garden clubs have been selected to create a floral arrangement inspired by a masterwork in the Wadsworth's permanent collection.
The painting and the floral arrangement are displayed side by side in the museum. Susan Talbott, director and CEO of the Wadsworth, said that surprisingly, many floral designers choose abstract artwork for their project. "One of my most favorite arrangements from last year," she said, "was inspired by our Mondrian painting ["Composition in Blue and White," 1935], which is essentially a set of black bars or stripes with a large blue rectangle. The most beautiful arrangement came out of that, with black bars, white carnations, and blue delphiniums."
This weekend, the museum will have an indoor market featuring locally-made products, and host a farm-to-table dinner on Saturday night. The museum's docents will also guide specially themed tours throughout the weekend.
The 33rd Annual Fine Art and Flowers event hours are Friday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
