A Celebration of Flowers
Sally Roman
Visitors entering the Cleveland Museum of Art are immediately drawn to the welcoming floral arrangement on the lobby pedestal. It could be the contrasting color, or the drama of the branch material or the uniqueness of the arrangement. The arrangement says, “Welcome to the world of the art of flowers.” The weekly arrangements are created by volunteer members of the Museum’s Women’s Council Flower Fund.
On December 3 & 4 the Women’s Council celebrated the 30 anniversary of Flower Fund which was founded by Jo Taube and Ingrid Ludars. Internationally known flower arranger Joseph Massie, from Liverpool, England, was invited to lead a two day celebration of flowers. During Tuesday’s demonstration in Gartner Auditorium, he completed three large traditional floral arrangements and three very contemporary arrangements that frequently drew many oohs and aahs from the audience. He also showed slides of five of his arrangements from the Chelsea Flower Show. Each one earned a gold medal and a best of show award. On Wednesday he lead a three-hour workshop for Flower Fund members that focused on arranging for our pedestal. He shared many tips for conditioning materials and the mechanics of arranging unique designs for each container. He also discussed the many principles of design. Ask any of us about making a wire frame for weaving sticks, clamping techniques, or fibonacci numbers!
