BRILLIANT BLOOMS BY K-12 BUDDING YOUNG ARTISTS
A playful spin-off from the Philadelphia Flower Show’s theme, “In Full Bloom”, “Bloom Boom!” challenges young artists to explore the concept of “blooming” as a metaphor for how, after 30 difficult months, we can begin to bloom again… to be the best version of ourselves... as flowers do in their most outstanding, striking, and beautiful moment.
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
Fresh Artists “Bloom Boom!” exhibition was uniquely designed to elevate, amplify, and celebrate the artistic talent of young artists in Philadelphia, Camden, and Norristown K-12 public schools.
For 3 months, more than 1,700 K-12 students were immersed in Fresh Artists meaningful STEAM “Art-Full All-Call” that challenged young artists to create their best work in response to 5 floral-themed projects:
Around the Bloomin’ World
Young artists’ execution of a blooming blossom(s) from a place in the world that celebrates a country, city, or town where they have visited or would like to visit.
Build a Philly Phlower
Young artists’ learned about the scientific parts and purpose of flowers then invented their own unique hybrid “flower with a purpose”, with a magical healing power!
Petal Pop
Inspired by the simple, high-contrast floral graphics a la Marimekko, Finland’s iconic design company,wildly popular in the 50’s and 60’s. Our Young Artists used complementary colors to create big, bright and “boomie” composite flowers that have been strewn over our soft, mossy walls.
If I were a flower…Here’s how I’d bloom!
Young Artists’ portrait of a blossom that expresses How THEY SEE THEMSELVES or How THEY WOULD LIKE OTHERS to see them.
The Sneaky Language of Flowers
Inspired by “Floriography”, the secret languages of flowers wildly popular in Victorian England in the 1800’s. Young Artists created a painting of a Tussie-Mussie, a small bouquet of flowers that sends a secret message to someone special.
Accompanying each of these 5 fantastical floral projects were a myriad of resources that the young artists used to draw inspiration.
- Library of short videos of fascinating folks who have careers in floral and garden design, botany, floriculture, and landscape architecture.
- 300 award-winning photographs of brilliant blooms from around the world
- The science behind flowers and pollinators provided by Longwood Garden
- A directory of local gardens and youth programs