Spring is in the air, and flowers are blooming everywhere!

For many locals in San Diego, spring goes hand in hand with the San Diego Flower fields. The field’s nearly fifty acres of land is known to hold some of the most spectacular displays of flowers.

This year is no different, and the field’s Tecolote Giant Ranunculus are as colorful as ever. The fields are open till early May, which leaves plenty of time to go and see them!

While that might seem like the best flower show in San Diego, the San Diego Museum of Art provides strong competition. Their annual Art Alive exhibit is by far their biggest event, and it is spectacular to see.

Art Alive at the San Diego Museum of Art is an experience like no other. Since 1982, this four day event has been vital to the Museum’s mission, and provides funding for the year. This event took place over the recent weekend, from March 30th to Sunday April 2nd.

This exhibit spans the museum and overflows into the neighboring park, and courtyard. This huge event brings together around a hundred floral designers from a variety of experience levels to create over 70 floral interpretations of the museum’s art.

All different forms of art in the museum are interpreted into many different kinds of floral designs. The amount of creativity is staggering.

Portrait paintings are represented by floral sculptures, or more abstract interpretations. This applies to abstract painting, murals, quilts, and more. Even objects such as vases, bowls, and plates were recreated.

The winning design of the year was a floral chair made of mosses, vines and other greenery, recreating a Chinese folding chair from the 1600’s.

The second place winner was a wood and floral arrangement replicating a sculpture of a woman’s head. The third place ribbon went to a whimsical and bright recreation of a soldier in uniform.

Long term participant Scott Crider says, “I like how everybody dresses up, in fancier costumes.” And in relation to the large kick off party, “it’s probably the biggest party event of the year in San Diego.”

The exhibition definitely draws in a creative crowd, and a large number of museum goers are dressed in floral crowns and bright colors.

This creativity, and unique use of flowers started long ago, when Art Alive first premiered in 1982, with Art Alive: A Celebration of Flowers. This set up the longstanding connection between the event and the Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG) Society of San Diego, but more specifically the art of Ikebana.

Ikebana directly translates to “giving life to flowers,” and it is a traditional Japanese way of arranging flowers. Ikebana traditions date back to the Heian period, from 794 to 1185, as flower arrangements were made as offerings at altars.

Furthermore, Sogetsu Ikebana is the teaching of Ikebana arranging, in a way that promotes freedom of creation. It is a combination of Mother Nature’s flowers and people’s touch of creativity.

Many of the floral designers work closely with the JFG on Ikebana floral arranging, and these classes help teach amateurs. The designers range, but are primarily legacy amateurs. Legacy refers to having designed for the exhibit 20+ years out of its 41 years.

One designer based her painting on “The Tiger Woman,” she captured the powerful essence and vivid colors in her arrangement. Such mastery is to be expected with her 34 years of experience.

When asked how she got into the industry, she explained that she, “went middle aged crazy, and I didn’t have enough money for a Maserati, but something told me to try doing Art Alive. I didn’t have any prior floral experience.”

This piece features a strong woman, both in the painting and behind the floral design, which is representative of the event’s theme, “modern women.”

A featured exhibit was one by Amanda Witucki, the only floral room with no flowers. From floor to ceiling a large room was covered in large and small origami style flowers. The effect was impactful, and the pastel colors brought the same life and joy as many other live arrangements.

Designers go through an extensive process to earn the right to be showcased at the museum. Docent, Mary Witztum says, “They have to submit an outline of their design, as well as a portfolio of what they’ve done in the past.”

From there, “then there is a choice selection, because they have to try to pick their artwork. Some might be easier to interpret than others.”

As people are selected, “They get called at random, and get to choose a source piece of art, then they call the next person, so some people are assigned at random, or without their first choice.”

Witztum has worked as a docent at the Art Alive event since 2019, which means she helped with the event through the pandemic. Now this is a very physical event… so how did they succeed during a global pandemic?

Like the rest of the world, “we all got into Zoom.” Witztum continues, by saying that today “We still have a couple Zoom tours online,” she says, “When I do Zoom tours it is always people from Europe… and a German couple the other day.”

The museum continued these pandemic habits into a post pandemic world in order for the art on display within the museum to reach a broader audience.

Art Alive at the San Diego Museum of Art is an elaborate event, featuring such unique expressions of creativity at a large scale. So while it’s too late to go this year, check out the photo’s online, and mark your calendars to see this exhibit in person next year!