Art Alive 2018
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San Diego Museum of Art
April 27 – 29, 2018
Written by Cathy Breslaw
There is nothing more familiar nor more beautiful than a room full of flowers. Broadening that concept exponentially, the San Diego Museum of Art’s yearly Art Alive fundraiser appeals to our senses by placing over 100 fresh floral arrangements throughout the museum galleries. Beginning with the central rotunda of the museum lobby, the husband-wife team of Daniel Schultz and Natasha Lisitsa created a gold-coated aluminum accordion-shaped spiral extending from the second floor top of the central dome down through the center to the floor. An arrayed assortment of white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, and red flowers of all types, along with varieties of greens cascaded through the metal structure as it moved slowly in circular motion. Art Alive, an annual fundraising event at SDMA is a cherished tradition in its 37th year. Floral designers are tasked with selecting a piece of art in the museum’s permanent collection and to then creating its floral interpretation.
Designers selected from paintings, sculptures, photographs, ancient art objects, and furniture that peaked their imagination. Their designs were viewed by thousands of visitors over the weekend. Aside from the stimulating sight and scent of fresh flowers, the arrangements by the designers were an attempt to connect with the color, composition, and shapes of the forms in the art pieces. While the most successful ones also reflected the spirit of the artwork, they each provided an intriguing transformation of what they observed in the art. Whether visitors were there to support the museum or to view the floral arrangements, Art Alive is truly a unique and fun annual experience and begs the question: What will we see next year?
