Fitchburg, Massachusetts is one
of those small New England cities that boomed with the first three-quarters of
the 20th Century but has struggled in recent years. Its largest employer decamped in 1998 for
cheaper labor and taxes, taking 4,000 industrial jobs with it. Too far (48 miles) from Boston to be a
commuter suburb, Fitchburg – population 42,000 – has had to reinvent itself.
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| Fitchburg retains architectural charm |
Reinvention is aided mightily
when a town preserves the best of its architecture from its heyday. It is beneficial when those industrial barons
from a century ago were collectors of art and bequeathed their collections to
local museums. And it is a decided plus
to have a garden club with a half-century-long illustrious history and a mission
that is heavy on “giving back” to the community.
I saw these disparate elements
come together on Friday evening, when I accompanied my wife, Betty, to the
reception for the 18th “Art in Bloom” at the Fitchburg Art Museum. There, 36 works of art – paintings,
sculptures, tapestries, photographs – had been interpreted by members (and invited
non-members) of the Laurelwood Garden Club.
It was a festive evening: 200
invited guests imbibed above-average wine and seriously good hors d’oeuvres
while listening to a jazz band. The
mayor was there; Fitchburg’s state representative was in attendance as were a
goodly number of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. In short, this was a serious event. Betty was there
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| A small part of the Art in Bloom reception |
The premise of an “Art in Bloom”
is fairly well understood (I explored it last month in “Reaching
Out”). The “art” half of the
equation can be anything from grade school drawings to the multimedia creation
of an honors student or a Picasso blue nude.
The “bloom” side of the ledger is a garden club member being assigned
(or choosing) a piece of art and creating a floral design inspired by it. The two stand together for everyone to see
for form their own judgement about whether the interpreter “got it”.
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| One of the Triiibe pieces. The curly willow branches in the floral interpretation seem to flow into the photo triptych |
Two things set Fitchburg’s “Art
in Bloom” apart from its peers. The
first was the art. The museum is light
on Picassos, blue or otherwise. But it
has an energetic and imaginative loan program.
One of exhibits, called “Triiibe:
Same Difference” spans multiple galleries and employs life-size photos,
videos, and props to make its frequently satirical points about equality,
gender, and politics. You might think
that “garden club ladies” would steer well away from such topical art. You would be wrong. Museum Director Nick Capasso told me the 14
artworks chosen for interpretation in the Triiibe exhibit were the most coveted
slots.
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| Another of the Triiibe pieces. The floral design at left interprets the visible artwork. An interpretation of a different work is at right. |
Similarly, a photography
gallery filled with both vintage and modern silver gelatin prints drew a rush
for entries. Black-and-white photos do
not immediately lend themselves to floral interpretation. Do you follow a monochrome palette? Do you fall back on a pavé design that stays
true to the image in front of you? The
short answer is that none of the designers played it safe.
The second thing that makes
Fitchburg’s program noteworthy is synergy.
Last year’s “Art in Bloom” drew 1300 visitors to the museum, making it
the highest attendance weekend of the year.
Director Capasso said he agreed only to “take a test drive” about the
event when he arrived at the museum four years ago. Today, he is fully on board. “There is so much creative energy,” was his summing-up
comment.
I’m in awe of what the Laurelwood
Garden Club did, as well as the resources – people and organizational – devoted
to the project by the Fitchburg Art Museum.
It is very rare for two institutions collaborating on a once-a-year
project to have such a profound and tangibly beneficial effect on one another. Kudos to both.
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