Image: Unknown Designer, Milwaukee Handicraft Project, 1935-1942, Madeira (altered detail) from Applied Design-Blockprinted Textiles. Volume VI. Supplement, block print on plain woven cloth, transferred from Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri-Columbia (2001.13.1)
Art in Bloom 2026 Wrap-Up and Awards
The 2026 Art in Bloom exhibition was a huge success with more than 1,300 attending the event. Visitors were treated to 18 inspiring floral arrangements in four galleries and the museum’s hallways and voted to help choose awards for professional and student designers. Below are the artful arrangements so generously provided by florists in the central Missouri area.
Bountiful thanks go to all involved, the participating florists without whom the event could not occur and the general public who so enthusiastically visited the museum to enjoy Art in Bloom 2026.
Committee's Choice
#1 Blooms & Wishes
Designers: Blooms & Wishes team
Work of art: Daniel Garber's River Bank
What caused you to choose the art you selected? "It was love at first sight after being drawn in by the lightness and whimsy of the painting. The color palette and the visibility of the brushstrokes is what drew me to the painting. With Blooms & Wishes, we like to keep things light and airy with a little touch of whimsy, which I feel pairs perfectly with this work of art."
#2 Missouri Flower Exchange
Designer: Joan Dyer
Work of art: Hubert Robert's The Hermit Frère Luce
Why do you think this work of art is a good one for pairing with your floral sensibilities? "The colors, texture, and flow pair well with the flowers currently blooming. I love the natural colors in the painting, the contrast between the cave and the bright sky, the flowing nature of the scene, and the multiple textures. The local and seasonal flowers I use will complement it well."
#3 Columbia Area Career Center class *student arrangement
Designers: Allison Daly, Ella McClary
Work of art: Luca Giordano's Apparition of the Virgin and St. Bernard
Why do you think this work of art is a good one for pairing with your floral sensibilities? "The shape, colors, movement, and emotion in the painting really spoke to us. It instantly gave us Ideas of flowers to use and just how to make the arrangement flow. It Is really amazing to think that the painting once decorated the ceiling of a church that Is now demolished."
#4 Mizzou's Everyday Floral Design Honors class *student arrangement
Designers: Sarah Cross, Keegan Good, and Emma Williams
Work of art: Willem Claesz Heda's Still Life with a Meat Pie, Nautilus Goblet, Silver Plates, and Glassware
What drew you to the painting you selected? “Our arrangement interprets the tension between beauty and impermanence found in this seventeenth century painting. The original composition presents objects of luxury and decadence, yet subtly disrupts them through imbalance and partial consumption, reminding the viewer that pleasure is temporary. Our work invites viewers to consider how something can be visually lavish yet inherently fleeting. Like the peeled lemon or partially eaten pie in the painting, our floral arrangement captures a moment of beauty that is already in the process of fading, encouraging reflection on the ephemeral nature of indulgence.”
Best Use of Color (professional)
#5 Kent’s Floral Gallery
Designer: Brittani Williams
Work of art: Albert Bierstadt's Northern Italian Landscape
What drew you to the painting you selected? "The colors caught my eye first thing. They are inviting and made me want to stop to take a closer look. The more I look at it, the more I want to be in the painting, taking it all in. I love designing in a way that can highlight natural lines and curves and add structure to emphasize the beauty that is already there."
#6 Columbia Area Career Center class *student arrangement
Designers: Claire Richardson, Lexi Szydlowski
Work of art: Joseph Delaney's Low Key
What caused you to choose the art you selected? "We chose this work of art because we love the use of color, the abstract elements, and movement. It is different from the other works of art in the gallery. The more we studied it, the more it came to life, inspiring us to use bright colors of certain flowers. We also love the nod to Black musicians and jazz."
#7 Columbia Garden Club
Designers: Columbia Garden Club members
Work of art: Sharif Bey, Domestic Commoner, on loan from Art Bridges
Why do you think this work of art is a good one for pairing with your floral sensibilities? "The location of the sculpture in the gallery, with lots of space, plus it sits in front of Thomas Hart Benton's Portrait of a Musician, the work of art our Garden Club chose the first time we entered Art in Bloom. The simplicity and relativity of Sharif Bey's sculpture grabbed our attention Immediately, Its large size and colors."
#8 Mizzou's Everyday Floral Design Honors class *student arrangement
Mizzou's Everyday Floral Design Honors class
Designers: Jennifer Middleton, Josephine Shank, and Marissa Thibeault
Work of art: Gertrude Abercrombie's, Alice through the Keyhole
What caused you to choose the art you selected “When selecting this art to work with we found the painting's colors to be intriguing. Both the color palette used as well as my floral design includes cool muted tones. Deep greens and blues reflect a nighttime setting. The painting feels quiet yet mysterious and inspired a floral arrangement that captures the muted color palette and the calmness and curiosity that the artwork brings. It is important to understand the stillness and emotional depth in the painting, a goal when creating the floral design. Height, line, and negative space, as well as unique blooms reflect the composition and tone of the painting. Using principles and elements of design, the arrangement is balanced, while also maintaining the importance of the somber subdued overall feeling that the painting evokes.”
People's Choice (professional)
#9 Jeremy Estes
Designer: Jeremy Estes
Work of art: Faith Ringgold's The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles
What caused you to choose the art you selected? "The painting reminds me of my grandmother. Her spirit leads me to do all things creative. I was immediately drawn to the female figures in the painting. I can imagine my grandmother and her church members singing hymns, telling stories, and laughing on a Sunday afternoon. The challenge in my floral design is not to do the obvious. I want to embody the spirit of the work of art through my Interpretation."
Best Use of Color (student)
#10 Columbia Area Career Center class *student arrangement
Designers: Paige Boeckman, Audra Crousore
Work of art: Carrie Mae Weems's Grabbing Snatching Blink and You Be Gone
Why do you think this work of art is a good one for pairing with your floral sensibilities? "It is a challenge. We want to work with emotions and shape, the mystery of the work of art, and the light portrayed throughout. The black and white photography was Immediately Impactful to us as well as the significance of the time period."
Best Art-Inspired Design (professional)
#11 My Secret Garden
Designers: Jessica LaHue, Ruth LaHue
Object: Sioux, moccasin (1 of pair), in the collection of Mizzou's Museum of Anthropology
What do you like most about the object you chose? "We love the textures, the individual elements, the lines and the artistry. The spirit that the beading carries -- although it was a functional article -- and the craftsmanship and detail are unique. We thought a lot about the walking in the moccasin and the experience of the person who wore it"
Dean's Choice
#12 Mizzou's Everyday Floral Design Honors class *student arrangement
Designers: Reesi Nesbitt, Jane Raym, and Trevor Terrell
Object: Coffin Fragment Depicting Isis
Why do you think this work of art is a good one for pairing with your floral sensibilities? “To inspire the creation of this floral arrangement, we chose a sarcophagus fragment featuring Isis, the Egyptian goddess of life, fertility, and rebirth. We wanted to reconstruct her wing from the shattered portion of the artifact. Wings were an important symbol of Isis and were often depicted on sarcophagi to promise renewal. Our arrangement mimics the cycle of life itself, for though it is beautiful and thriving, it will inevitably fade and die. In a gallery setting, viewers can see this decay in real time, and witness vitality pass into stillness, moment by moment. As we worked, we thought back to the legend of the goddess Isis using her wings to breathe life back into her slain husband, Osiris. Like that tale, the flowers used to create our piece produce the same oxygen that sustains those who admire its beauty.”
Most Creative Design (professional)
#13 Bare Roots
Designer: Kailey Russell
Object: Red-Figured Neck-Amphora of with Funerary Scenes
What drew you to the object you selected? "The intricate painted works on the vase with the geometric details, and the flip between static and dynamic lines, will allow me to do geometric shapes and lines in my design. I especially like the leaf work, the swirls, the mechanical detail, and the movement of the scene shown."
#14 Allen’s Flowers
Designers: Tina Bradley, Marla Trickel
Object: Lamp with Scrolled Handle
What caused you to choose the art you selected? "We chose the lamp to be our inspiration because of the decorative shape of the handle and the organic nature of the vessel. It is utilitarian and useful but also an interesting design, both in form and function."
Best Art-Inspired Design (student)
#15 Mizzou SAIFD *student designers
Designers: Sadie Tummons, Sky Halloul
Work of art: Charles Timm-Ballard's Left Standing
What drew you to the object you selected? “The stillness of the piece yet the blurriness of it was what drew us to this, also the achromatic color that creates such a stark contrast. With this design, we chose to work “outside the box,” visualizing what the work of art would look like in color. The design was inspired by floral designer Gregor Lersch with a focus on displacement of materials to replicate the displacement of the overall design.”
Truman's Choice
#16 Schnucks Florist & Gifts
Designers: Nora Alahaideb, Jacob Blank, Grace Perez-Sandi
Work of art: Marek Cecula's In Dust Real: Burned Again
What caused you to choose the art you selected? "There's so much potential for unique constraints and contrasting color with this work of art. It seems to represent or inspire feelings of time passing and invokes a strong feeling of memory, faded glory, and lost grandeur while still holding on to beauty. The shapes can be interpreted in many ways which inspires us, especially because we have experience with non-traditional containers."
Director's Choice
#17 The Bottom Ground
Designer: Korrin Zerr
Work of art: Jennifer McCurdy's Wave Vessel
Why do you think this work of art is a good one for pairing with your floral sensibilities? "I want to showcase this work of art by using different leaf work to complement the movement of the vessel. I love the simplicity of the color which forces you to look at the shape. It gives the feeling of a beautiful wave on a calm day."
Most Creative Design (student)
#18 Tiger Garden
Designers: Isabella Cavanagh, Riley Rupp, Alondra Martin
Object: The Museum of Art & Archaeology’s Art o Mat, created by Clark Whittington
What caused you to choose the art you selected? "The use of the machine and small pieces of art were intriguing to us, especially the mechanical portion of the machine, the springs and how art is dispensed when someone makes a purchase, the art was very interesting. We decided to build an armature that the florals are coming out of, like the small art works come out of the Art o Mat.”
Art in Bloom is a program of the Museum of Art and Archaeology and is thanks to Simmons Bank Private Wealth; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; and Museum Associates, Inc.
