Shirley had visited exhibits by a few local garden clubs who had devised an approach of partnering with public school art teachers to develop exhibits at local libraries. These would be similar to Art in Bloom at the MFA and WAM. Those popular museum exhibits have chosen arrangers who are assigned artworks to do an interpretation of the artwork in flowers for successful fundraising exhibits. She invited a few of us to join her in visiting these libraries several times, and we were similarly enthusiastic about the student art.

We were not known as a Flower Arranging club, although Kathy Marble and Lois Frampton perennially encouraged us.

Would enough garden club members be willing to join in? Luckily several did agree to give it a try when it was proposed.

Then the idea had to be realized!

First Shirley approached the teachers Elizabeth Hoorneman, Cynthia Fontaine and Cynthia Harris who were enthusiastic. Then she contacted Mary Wilson at the Library who went out of her way to schedule the club’s first Bloom N Art on the only possible weekend in March 2017. This included moving library activities already scheduled in Volunteers Hall. The Garden Club voted the money to start. We were off!

Margaret Murphy applied for funding to the Harvard Cultural Council, and the club received a grant to help pay for the flowers and other expenses. This was the first of a series of grants from the council.

Tables and easels were moved or borrowed, black tablecloths and small easels purchased, posters designed and printed, publicity arranged,

Deb Dowson coordinated with the art department and assigned artwork to members. Theresa Ledoux handled publicity. Carlene wrote an article for the Harvard Press. Lois Frampton gave specific advice at one of her workshops. Pete Jackson had the key to the library, which allowed us to open on Sunday.

It was a grassroots effort, and it surprised us at how well it turned out. Now, five years later, we go on, albeit in online format this year. Next year we hope to smell the flowers again.

There is no entry fee charged for this because we want this to be our gift to the town.

By Barbara Heim