05/27/2025
Art in Bloom - I have meant to post about this process for a year now 🙃. I was thrilled to be chosen to participate in the NC Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser. I felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility when I was assigned Sam Gilliam’s “Sawtooth”, an abstract piece that was “quilted” together from large canvases. The piece was inspired by African American quilts and the colors used were deliberate and meaningful. I knew Gilliam was a force in DC during the civil rights movement, was known as the “dean” of the DC arts community, and that he had recently passed. I wanted a vessel that was bold and masculine, Gilliam commanded rooms with his presence. I found an Outer Banks metal worker who produced a diamond plate piece that maximized the pedestal space I was given. To capture color and shape, and later assign flower varieties, I made the template you see. I cut bear grass into a “lawn” to create the shape of Gilliam’s work. Layering flower types let me get the depths I wanted, I loved when people would stand close and look down into it and see the detail. My favorite part was speaking to visitors about my process daily throughout the week and meeting some of Gilliam’s family and former members of the Washington Color School. You can see other pedestal works like mine and how their floral designers represented them. The were also large platform installations the were to represent decades. The 1940’s pedestal brought tears to visitors. Representing death and destruction and then rebirth, it was breathtaking to see. I could not have done this without my family, I am grateful. ☺️ Ben Brown, Beth Farner, and, of course, Scott Jolly. ❤️
