body{font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;color:black;}p{margin:0px;}Flora & Fine Arts
June 11–12, 2011 prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

Artwork from prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /Tacoma Art Museum’s permanent collection serves as inspiration for floral arrangements created by local designers in Flora & Fine Arts on June 11 and 12. This special, one-weekend-only exhibition showcases nearly three dozen floral designs exhibited with the iconic works of Northwest art that sparked the floral artists.

In partnership with Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma Garden Club invited prominent Puget Sound designers and members of the Garden Club to create dazzling floral arrangements inspired by the colors, textures, and compositions of the art.

“Showcasing art in a new and exciting ways while showcasing local, talented designers is an opportunity for the museum to connect people through art in unexpected ways,” said Stephanie A. Stebich, Director of Tacoma Art Museum. “Flora & Fine Arts is a wonderful example of how art can inspire us in unexpected ways.”

This exhibition has been inspired by similar events at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The exhibition will also include a site-specific installation titled Flora Plastica by Barbara De Pirro for the museum’s lobby created from an array of brilliantly colored, recycled, plastic shopping bags.

Flora and Fine Arts also includes a special exhibition preview on Friday, June 10, as well as the Spring into Summer Garden Festival on Saturday, June 11. This family festival will feature workshops, hands-on art-making activities, and lectures by notable garden experts Ed Hume and Valarie Easton.

More about Flora & Fine Arts on June 11 and 12, http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/Page.aspx?nid=368

Flora & Fine Arts Vernissage
Friday, June 10, 6–8 pm
Enjoy a preview of Flora & Fine Arts, light hors d’oeuvres, and wine while meeting with exhibition artists. Purchase advance TICKETS online. For more information regarding the Vernissage, please email Helene at florafinearts@wolfenet.com.

Cost: $40 per person with free museum parking.

Artists in Their Gardens
Saturday, June 11, 11 am
Seattle Times garden columnist and author Valerie Easton gives a visual tour and tells us how we can all be artists in our own gardens. For more information about Valerie Easton, visit her website here.

Cost: $15 ($10 for Tacoma Art Museum and Tacoma Garden Club members, $5 for students).

Found Flora: Recycled Garden Family Workshop
Saturday, June 11, 1 pm
Bring the family and learn how to transform ordinary plastic into one-of-a-kind works of art with artist Barbara De Pirro. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited. For more information about Barbara De Pirro, visit her website here.

Cost: $35 ($25 for members; $5 per child; Ages 5 and under free). To register contact: Education@TacomaArtMuseum.org or 253.722.2455

or learn more http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/Page.aspx?nid=298

Gardens of the World
Saturday, June 11, 2 pm Based on Ed Hume’s national TV program, this dynamic lecture features some of the most beautiful gardens of the world. Expect to see images from Monticello, Maui Tropical Plantation, Desert Botanical Garden, Keukenhof Gardens, and more! Cost: $15 ($10 for Tacoma Art Museum and Tacoma Garden Club members, and $5 for students).