Bouquets to Art 2009 – Wilsey Court

As we entered the De Young Museum from the underground garage, we were greeted by these gorgeous parrot tulips, giving us a hint of what was to come in this year’s Bouquets to Art exhibit. 

 

The grand centerpiece of Wilsey Court is a magnificent arrangement called “Elemental” by Waterlily Pond Studio. A copper sign nearby has the artists description:

Elemental, by Waterlily Pond Studio

Natasha Lisitsa, Daniel Schultz,Carla D’Agostino

Materials Used:

500 blossoming branches of Forsythia

30 Manzanita trees

200 trunks of Curly Willow

500 stems of Anthuriums

100 feet of copper tubing, inspired by the De Young architecture

Size: Diameter – 20 ft. Height – 15 ft. Weight – 800 lbs.

Dedicated to the Grand Celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of Bouquets to Art.

Suspended within the austere, angular space of the Wilsey Court, a vibrant infusion of color and dynamic form initiates a celebration of life and all things Elemental. A radiant central composition of yellow forsythia and red Manzanita branches alludes to the sun and earth, the combined vital energy common to us all. Orbiting this form is an ascending spiral, which presents allusions to the building blocks of nature: the earth orbiting the sun, the atom, DNA, and to the continuous path of life along which we travel.

Not only is the piece breathtaking, but it is a feat of structural engineering.

When my son saw this photo he said it looked like fire, which I believe is precisely what the artists had in mind. I thought it looked like dendrites of the central nervous system (my inner geek rearing her head again…)

 

Watch this video clip to see how the Waterlily team installed this 800 pound work of art:

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Also in the Wilsey Court: Patricia Gibbons Floral Design of El Cerrito used all white materials for a stunning entry :

The row of topiaries in the lobby created quite a buzz. We studied them from afar,

 

and up close,

 

And even underneath. 

This whimsical structure is a nice homage to the copper exoskeleton of the De Young Museum:

 

I thought the orange ranunculus blossoms looked great in front of the green tree ferns.

 

My very talented ikebana instructor, Yoshiko Williams, made this arrangement:

 

 

The spirit of these two teapots were perfectly captured by Joan McLellan Taylor. The medallion on the signage designates that she has been an exhibitor at Bouquets to Arts for twenty years.

 

I especially like the newspaper roses and toy cow.

Even the ladies' room had a row of tulips in geometric vases:

 

If you look closely, you will see a tiny occupant, perfectly color coordinated of course.

This concludes the lobby portion of your tour. Next time we will finally enter the galleries.