Meet a Mia’s Art in Bloom Pedestal Floral Artist, Amy Kubas

Article and photos by Becky Fillinger

Mia’s annual Art in Bloom is held this year April 24-27. Art in Bloom: Fiesta de Flores is a blockbuster, brief, can’t miss event! Free tours are offered on all days of the exhibit, no registration required. You’ll see 160 floral artists’ works alongside the museum pieces that inspired them. We talked to Amy Kubas about her experience as a pedestal artist selected to participate this year. It’s a fleeting experience – make plans now for the next 4 days! Here are the hours Mia is open during Art in Bloom:

• Thursday, April 24: 10am-9pm
• Friday, April 25: 10am–5pm
• Saturday, April 26: 10am–5pm
• Sunday, April 27: 10am–5pm

Q: How were you notified that you were selected for Art in Bloom: Fiesta de Flores?

A: Art in Bloom is an entirely voluntary event open to any and everyone! Mia's Art in Bloom event is one of the only museums to accept volunteers without stringent professional floral prerequisites - allowing for volunteers of all ages and experience backgrounds. Because participation has grown in popularity, volunteers are selected via a lottery system to provide a fair chance for all to participate. This year alone, there were over 200 registrants, but only 160 available slots for participation. Receiving notification that you’ve been accepted into Art in Bloom as a Pedestal Floral Artist always feels like an exciting stroke of luck motivated by a whole lot of passion!

Q: Did you have an artwork in mind during the application process?

A: The selection process for artwork is also executed via a lottery process. Mia curators select a vast array of artworks for volunteers to take inspiration - ranging from 2-Dimensional to 3-Dimensional artwork as well as spanning ancient to contemporary pieces. Since volunteers are assigned a lottery number, they are also asked to select and rank their top choices of artworks from the curators’ selection. As luck would have it, this year I was granted my first-rank selection of art, although there have been years where I’ve received my 15th preference which inspires a little more creative and critical thinking when seeking to find inspiration.  My assigned selection is Egret in Rain (1928) by Japanese artist Ohara Shōson. The egret is symbolic of resilience, purity, personality and harmony. I used white anthuriums, which have a pristine appearance – they are symbolic of purity and innocence – I felt the white anthurium flower matched well with the egret.  The sgraffito etching on the ceramic pot echoed the woodblock print’s background.  

Q: How do you approach interpreting museum pieces into floral design?

A: Personally, my approach tends to focus on colors and texture within a museum artwork. When working with 2-Dimensional artwork, it’s always inspiring to consider ways in which you can bring images to life through texture and shape - mimicking feathers or lace in the form of petals or matching expressive brush - strokes with different leaves and greenery, even focusing on highlighting a particular detail within the artwork by a specific choice of vase.

Q: What does participating in Art in Bloom mean to you as a floral artist?

A: Since I am not a professional or trained floral artist, Art in Bloom allows me to explore creative opportunities and express ideas to the public in inspiring ways. Working with a new and living medium always presents a unique experience for both the Pedestal Floral Artists and the visitors to the museum.