Katonah Museum’s First ART IN BLOOM Big Success

By Jill Brooke

Art in Bloom has blossomed into one of the most beloved traditions in the museum world — and for good reason. The concept is elegantly simple: pair a work of art with a fresh floral arrangement, and watch two creative languages speak to each other. Floral designers study a painting, sculpture, or artifact and then translate its colors, textures, mood, and meaning into living flowers. The result is not imitation but interpretation — a kind of creative conversation between what is permanent and what is fleeting.

The tradition began at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1976, and this year the MFA celebrated its 50th anniversary of the event. What started as a single institution’s springtime experiment has spread to museums across the country — Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Evansville, and now, closer to home, the Katonah Museum of Art. Each venue brings its own community of floral designers and local artists into the mix, making Art in Bloom feel both universal and deeply personal wherever it lands.

Katonah’s inaugural Art in Bloom, held June 11–14, 2026, paired artists from the Katonah Museum Artists’ Association with local floral designers and garden club members in a juried exhibition. Curated by Associate Curator Elizabeth Monti, each pairing was chosen to highlight contrast, reinterpretation, and the dialogue between two art forms — one made to last, one made to fade. It allows people to view existing art with fresh eyes.

That impermanence is part of the magic. The flowers bloom and change over the course of the exhibition, reminding us that beauty, like art itself, is worth showing up for while it’s here.

The idea sprang from the fertile mind of decoupage artist Audrey Zinman who along with the Katonah Museum staff gathered floral designers and enthusiasts.

I also participated in a panel discussion on the history of these Art in Bloom events which is a story in my new book, “The Genius of Flowers.” Moderated by curator Christopher Brescia, the panel also included sculptor Loren Eiferman and floral designer Garin Baura.

Museum staff reported that the concept was catnip to the public and the museum successfully created floral inspired events around it, including a yummy floral cocktail and poetry readings.

So successful was the maiden voyage that the museum plans to have another one next year.

Here are some of the floral interpretations for this show. Tell me which one is your favorite?