The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) opened its 42nd annual Art in Bloom festival today, bringing more than 160 floral interpretations of works from the museum’s permanent collection to its galleries through Sunday, April 26, in what organizers say is the event’s most expansive year yet.
Presented by the Friends of the Institute, the four-day signature event features floral creations by more than 100 individual and commercial florists, each interpreting a work from Mia’s collection. The festival is free and open to the public and serves as the Friends of the Institute’s largest annual fundraiser.
For the first time, Art in Bloom extends beyond its traditional four-day format with month-long programming designed to increase access and deepen engagement, including weekly floral arrangements in partnership with Bachman’s, a Twin Cities garden shop chain.
This year’s signature artwork is a pair of tall, robin’s-egg blue vases from Meiji-era Japan, adorned with delicate depictions of birds, leaves and flowers, a striking example of the cloisonné technique, in which colored-glass paste is placed within compartments formed by copper or bronze wires bent into a desired pattern on a metal vessel.
The expanded programming reflects a broader push by Mia and the Friends to bring the beloved spring tradition to new audiences. Before the four-day event opened, Mia brought Art in Bloom into the community through interactive events at the Mall of America, including a Petals & Crayons Coloring Contest on April 14 and live floral demonstrations by pedestal floral artists on April 19.
An after-hours preview event, Party in Bloom, took place Wednesday evening from 7 to 11 p.m., blending art, fashion and culinary design for ticket holders. The Artful Access Lounge, presented by Artful Living, featured hosted beverages, a champagne wall and a dessert tower.
During the festival’s run, five hands-on floral workshops led by Sarah Arnold of Bloomcroft are scheduled, covering bouquet design, ikebana and sustainable arrangements. Visitors can also cast daily votes for their favorite floral installations.
New family programming includes Once Upon a Bloom on Sunday, April 26, featuring performances by teaching artists from Children’s Theatre Company. Free guided public tours run throughout the four-day event, departing from the second-floor Rotunda with no reservation required.
Art in Bloom merchandise, including a limited-edition tote and T-shirt designed by local artist Lindsay Nohl, as well as pins, magnets, posters and postcards inspired by this year’s signature artwork, are available in The Store at Mia.
The Friends of the Institute, one of the nation’s oldest and most active museum volunteer organizations, has been supporting Mia since 1922, with proceeds going toward artwork acquisition and conservation, youth and adult education, and museum upkeep and renovation.
Art in Bloom runs through Sunday at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 Third Ave. South, Minneapolis. Admission is free; tickets are required for select workshops. More information is available at artsmia.org.
