The weeklong event follows the theme Blooms on the Bayou and includes showstopping floral displays; a popular lecture series, luncheon, and fashion show; and a silent auction.
NEW ORLEANS – Next month, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and the Garden Study Club of New Orleans host the popular springtime celebration Art in Bloom Presented by First Horizon. Garden clubs and other creative talents will build innovative floral installations throughout all three floors of NOMA. Floral displays are on view to the public Thursday, March 14–Sunday, March 17, during regular museum hours (10 am–5 pm).
The weeklong event includes a patron and preview party, a lecture series and luncheon, and a silent auction to raise funds for NOMA and the Garden Study Club of New Orleans, who have partnered on the highly anticipated event for over 30 years.
This year, Art in Bloom looks to the unique landscape of South Louisiana with the theme Blooms on the Bayou, and designers from across the city will present spectacular floral displays inspired by this theme, NOMA artworks, and their own creative vision.
“Every year, thousands of visitors look forward to Art in Bloom, which prompts us to look at art—and the museum—in new ways,” said Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “Thank you to First Horizon, the Garden Study Club of New Orleans, and all of the talented designers across the city who make Art in Bloom a standout event in the city’s spring calendar.”
This year’s event is chaired by Jeanne de Laureal and Elizabeth Wooten, with support from NOMA Volunteer Committee Chair Tully Forrester Jordan and Garden Study Club of New Orleans President Courtney Le Clercq. First Horizon returns as presenting sponsor for Art in Bloom.
“Art in Bloom brings together visitors from across the city in support of NOMA’s important mission to inspire lifelong learning through the arts,” said Ashley Morgan, Community Relations Liaison for First Horizon. “We hope that this year’s guests will take away a renewed sense of the importance of art and design in everyday life.”
Floral displays from Art in Bloom Presented by First Horizon in 2023.
Left: Thibodeaux’s Floral Studio; Right: Hammond Garden.
Patron and Preview Party
Patrons and sponsors have the first peek at this year’s Art in Bloom displays on Wednesday, March 13, during the patron party (6–7 pm) and preview party (7–9 pm). Click here for a full list of exhibitors.
Patron and preview party guests will enjoy cuisine from Café Degas, Café NOMA, Creole Creamery & Cafe, Galatoire’s, Joel’s Catering, LEA Catering, Mikimoto, PF Changs, Swiss Confectionery, and Taj Mahal & Nirvana Indian Cuisine.
Silent Auction
The Art in Bloom patron party also provides the first chance for guests to browse items from the silent auction in person and place bids. With digital bidding open from March 11–18, this year’s silent auction features one-of-a-kind contributions from local artists and designers.
A highlight of this year’s auction is a painting titled Rhythm of the Bayou by New Orleans–based artist Mary Ball. Ball’s artwork is featured on this year’s invitation for the event. Click here for a full list of silent auction artists.
Lecture Series and Fashion Show
On Thursday, March 14, Greg Campbell and Erick New of Garden District boutique in Memphis, Tennessee, and Elizabeth Heiskell give a presentation titled “Farm to Table: Florals and Flavors”—continuing the popular Art in Bloom lecture series.
Following the lecture, the museum hosts a luncheon at the Pavilion of the Two Sisters in New Orleans City Park with food from Ralph Brennan Catering and Events. Guests will enjoy a fashion show by local favorite SOSUSU and Toronto-based womenswear brand Greta Constantine, designed by Kirk Pickersgill.
Limited seating is available for both events.
Additional Information
Tickets start at $25 for admission to view floral displays. For more information about Art in Bloom Presented by First Horizon, visit noma.org.
###
Media Contacts
Charlie Tatum, Director of Marketing and Communications
ctatum@noma.org
504.658.4103
Ra’Jae’ Wolf, Marketing and Communications Associate
rwolf@noma.org
504.658.4106
###
About NOMA and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and its Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden are home to innovative exhibitions, installations, educational programs, and research. Exploring human creativity across time, cultures, and disciplines, the global scope of the museum’s initiatives open a vibrant dialogue with the history and culture of New Orleans. The museum stewards a collection of nearly 50,000 works, with exceptional holdings in African art, photography, decorative arts, and Japanese art, as well as strengths in American and French art, and an expanding collection highlighting contemporary artists. The museum’s exhibitions and dynamic learning and engagement offerings serve as a forum for visitors to engage with diverse perspectives, share cultural experiences, and foster a life of learning at all ages. Recent exhibitions include Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club, Called to the Camera: Black American Studio Photographers, The Orléans Collection (an exhibition of forty European masterpieces from the collection of the city’s namesake, Philippe II, Duc d’Orléans), East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth Century America Landscape Photography, and Changing Course: Reflections on New Orleans Histories (seven contemporary art projects focusing on reimagining stories from the city’s past).
NOMA’s 12-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden expands visitors’ experiences of the museum with one of the most notable sculpture gardens in the country. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden, free and open to the public seven days a week, has nearly 100 sculptures and outdoor works of art situated in a unique landscape featuring Spanish moss-laden live oaks and a sinuous lagoon surrounded by an expansive ecosystem of native plants. The works in the garden range from the 19th to the 21st centuries, with pieces by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Louise Bourgeois, Ida Kohlmeyer, Claes Oldenburg, Sean Scully, Maya Lin, Do Ho Suh, Ugo Rondinone, Wangechi Mutu, Hank Willis Thomas, and many others. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden features contemporary design elements—including a sculpture pavilion, an amphitheater, and an architecturally significant canal link bridge connecting the garden’s original 2003 footprint with a 2019 expansion. Its water management practices support the health and resiliency of New Orleans City Park and the surrounding environment. Throughout the year, NOMA hosts outdoor programs in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden including festivals, performances, wellness classes, tours, and more.