CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Krannert Art Museum will host its 25th – and final – Petals & Paintings fundraiser this spring.
The event April 7-9 features two dozen florists creating floral designs inspired by works of art on display at the museum. Petals & Paintings is the main fundraiser of the Krannert Art Museum Council.
“It is a tremendously beloved event in the community,” said Gloria Rainer, who has been the co-chair of the event for the past eight years. About 3,000 people visit the museum for the event, she said.
“I think people enjoy seeing what a floral designer is going to do as an interpretation of a work of art. Is it going to be very literal? Is it going to be more subtle? What are the elements in the piece of art that inspire the floral designer? There’s a curiosity about what the floral designers are going to do,” Rainer said.
A number of the florists have been involved with Petals & Paintings for many years, and some – including Robert Friese of Fruitport, Michigan, who will respond to this year’s featured artwork – have participated in every Petals & Paintings event. Local florist Rick Orr has been the event organizer since its inception. The florists donate their time and the materials, Rainer said.
“Zanfirico Pear,” a blown-glass sculpture made by University of Illinois alumna Flora C. Mace and her collaborator Joey Kirkpatrick, will be sold through a sealed-bid auction prior to the opening gala of Petals & Paintings.
The money raised at Petals & Paintings supports educational programs at the museum, as well as renovations and other special projects. Rainer said the council members made the difficult decision to move to different types of fundraising events, partly because of the amount of time and effort it takes to organize a large fundraiser like Petals & Paintings. The decision also makes it possible for the council to host consistent outreach events in the community throughout the year, rather than a single flagship event.
A large-scale blown-glass sculpture, “Zanfirico Pear,” made by University of Illinois alumna Flora C. Mace and her collaborator Joey Kirkpatrick, will be sold through a sealed-bid auction prior to the opening gala of Petals & Paintings. Mace earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at the U. of I. in 1976.
The glass sculpture is part of the artists’ fruit series, which includes pieces owned by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. According to the Smithsonian, the pieces in the fruit series feature “thin canes of glass … fused onto the surface of blown glass to create delicate spirals of pattern that stand out against the clear form.”
The sealed-bid auction will close at 1 p.m. April 7 and the winner of “Zanfirico Pear” will be announced at the opening gala.
The opening gala is 6:30 to 9 p.m. April 7. Tickets for the event are $85, and the evening will include chamber music by members of Sinfonia da Camera and a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception. It will also include a silent auction, and the items to be sold include tickets to “Hamilton” in Chicago with an overnight stay at a Chicago hotel. A complete list of items for the silent auction is available on the museum’s website. Requests for tickets to the opening gala can be made by emailing kam@illinois.edu.
The floral design exhibition is free and open to the public during Illinois Moms’ Weekend, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8 and from noon to 5 p.m. April 9. Five pieces of original artwork will be available through a raffle drawing during the weekend. The artwork is created by artists who are members of KAM Council.
Editor’s note: For more information about Petals & Paintings, go to kam.illinois.edu/petals2017/ or contact Julia Kelly at jkell@illinois.edu.
