Art in Bloom 2024, a Flourish!
Art in Bloom 2024, Photo: David Lipnowski
Presented by Petals West and the Associates of the WAG, the event was made possible by a dedicated committee of volunteers, generous sponsors, donors, and partners, and the creative community who designed the breathtaking floral installations enjoyed by so many. Thank you to everyone who helped bring Art in Bloom 2024 to life! See photos from this year’s event below.
This year, there were 109 professional and amateur floral interpreters who re-imagined 94 artworks throughout the Gallery, seven hands-on workshops were presented by Julie Myers of Floral Fixx Design Studio, and the weekend kicked off with a spring-fling Preview Party where attendees got a sneak peek at the interpretations and had the opportunity to chat with the talented interpreters. Guests were also treated to jazz music by Ron Paley and a make-your-own floral ware led by Florence Botanicals.
After the weekend festivities, the 15,000 stems were collected by Floral Philanthropy and blitzed the community, and the ripple effect of floral bliss extended well beyond the event with distribution to healthcare centres, personal care homes, hospitals, resource centres, and schools throughout the city and beyond in support of CancerCare Manitoba Foundation — see the epic list below!
Beloved WAG-Qaumajuq events like Art in Bloom would not be possible without our very generous sponsors, donors, and supporters. Thank you to Master Partner, Petals West, event sponsors The Asper Foundation, Birchwood Automotive, Johnston Group, McFadden Benefits, event partner Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP, partners Floral Fixx Design Studio, Flower & Flour, Floral Philanthropy, and donors Judy and Ken Murray, Innovair Industrial, Jim and Susan Millican, Joyce Berry, and Hennie and Rick Corrin.
Special thanks to this year’s amazing organizing committee: Jan Burns (Chair), Joyce Berry, Candace Borger, Hazel Borys, Kevin Chipman, Andrea Cibinel, Jan Coates, Hennie Corrin, Suzanne Du Plooy, Carol Eliasson, Sherry Glanville, Sue Irving, Carolyn Knowles, Karen Lischka, Pat McCullough, Julie Myers, Dawn Ormiston-Stewart, Lise Poirier, Lorraine Prokopchuk, Jody Reaburn, Char Rempel, Day Scarlett, Esme Scarlett, Florence Van Dijk, Edie Wilde. An amazing 270 volunteer slots were filled throughout the event!
Art in Bloom is not just a beautiful event, it is a fundraiser and a friend-raiser. Your support helps ensure the Gallery is accessible to all while bringing the community together.
Thank you again to all who contributed, and save the date for the next Art in Bloom, April 17-19, 2026!
Excerpt from Floral Philanthropy Report via Joyce Berry and Hennie Corrin:
Flowers from Art in Bloom were delivered to: Reception desks and/or common areas at Misericordia Terrace, Misericordia Place, The Portsmouth, The Simkin Centre, The Shaftsbury Park Retirement Home, Vista Park Lodge, Meadowood Manor, River Park Gardens, Golden Links Lodge, the Jewish Child and Family Services at the Rady Centre, Jocelyn House, the Grace Hospital Hospice Care and the Palliative Care Unit on the 8th floor of St. Boniface Hospital. Vases were delivered to the nursing stations at CancerCare Manitoba and Riverview Health Centre. At the second location, the Boy Scouts took on the volunteer assignment of delivering the vases to each of the wards. Flower drop-off were not restricted to our immediate community, flowers were delivered to the Niverville Heritage Personal Care Home, the Selkirk Bethel Care Home, the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, and the St. Norbert Nursing Home.
In respect to our youth, flowers were taken to Oak Park High School and Wolseley School, where in celebration of Earth Day, the students sourced items from their school yard and re-interpreted the interpretation! The flowers at Gordon Bell School went to the their inclusive education department for ”flower therapy and acts of kindness.” Each student made a bouquet for their educational assistant or someone else important to them. The Floral Philanthropy volunteer, who counsels at the school, reported that there were smiles all around when the students made their deliveries. As a nice addition to this category of giving, most of the Petals West arrangements were donated to R.B. Russell School, where Dawn Ormiston-Stewart shared that the students mounted their own Art in Bloom show!
An amazing team of volunteers de-thorned the roses from the Art in Bloom rose wall and the bulk of the roses were given to Harvest Manitoba and Agape Table. However, one of the FP volunteers blanketed the inner city with beautiful floral arrangements. These locations include: Nice Circles Community Health Centre, West Central Women’s Resource Centre, Spence Street Neighbourhood Association, Ronald McDonald House, Canadian Muslin Women`s Institute, Mount Carmel Clinic, Immigrant Centre Manitoba, North End Women’s Resource Centre, Elizabeth Fry Society, Manitoba Metis Federation, and Urban Circle Training Centre.
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