Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

Wow, this blog is practically writing itself. Friday, May 8 is National Public Gardens Day.  Here’s the info we provided the local media. It pretty much covers everything.

National Public Gardens Day at the IMA
Friday, May 8
1–5 p.m.
Throughout the IMA Gardens and Grounds
Free
National Public Gardens Day is a national day of celebration to raise awareness of America’s public gardens and their important role in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness, plant and water conservation, and education in communities nationwide. Visitors may stop by the IMA gardens for a full afternoon of events, including a demonstration on creating high-impact container displays and shopping discounts at the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse and guided tours of springtime blooms in the IMA gardens. Visitors may stop by the orchard on the grounds of Oldfields, which is currently being renovated to include heirloom fruits and vegetables popular in gardens of the early 20th century. The Museum’s knowledgeable horticulture staff will be available throughout the day to offer gardening tips and answer questions.

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Fashion in Bloom – Inside and out, the IMA is blooming. Last Friday I checked out “Fashion in Bloom” up on Gallery Level 2 and have had plants and garments on my mind ever since. Sometimes, I like to be contrary, so here are some garments on plants. And just because I think they’re both neat, here is a girl in a zipper dress which reminded me of the oft forgotten fashion item, Units/Multiples.

Innovative Coffee Lid – While I don’t usually drink coffee myself, I do appreciate a clever way to get the cream and sugar back to the office so a buddy can customize their drink to their liking.

Homes of Famous Architects – The IMA recently aquired Miller House and Garden and all the activity surrounding it has created within me an interest for home design. Here’s a connection, turns out the Eames home in Northern California was designed with the help of Miller House designer, Eero Saarinen.

Monday Music – “No One Does it Like You”  by Department of Eagles. I’ve been thinking about getting a fish and supposedly this band has a “Pet Sounds” flavor.

Fashion often finds inspiration in nature as illustrated by these designs created from actual plant material.

image from trendhunter.com

image from trendhunter.com

More often however designers are only inspired by plants when they are creating fabric for their work. That fact is the focus for the exhibition Fashion in Bloom put together by Niloo Imami-Paydar, IMA’s Curator of Textile and Fashion Arts. The exhibition opens Saturday April 4 and runs through January 30, 2010. The items in this exhibition go all the way back to the 1700’s, but the four I’m blogging about are from the late 1950’s to the 70’s. Read the rest of this entry »