Art Alive 2017

Art Alive 2017

April 28-30, 2017

The San Diego Museum of Art’s 36th annual Art Alive, an event in which floral designers transform famous works of art from the permanent collection into exquisite floral displays, is the museum’s signature fundraiser that provides support for education, outreach programs and special exhibitions.

For the Art Alive exhibition, more than 100 floral designers from throughout Southern California are selected to create floral interpretations of the museum’s most famous works of art. Following the completion of the reinstallation of many of the museum’s permanent collection galleries, floral designers will be inspired by the most prominent highlights in the collection including works from Diego Rivera, René Magritte, Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Francisco de Zurbarán, Goya, El Greco, and the world renowned Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of Indian Paintings.

This year, Carlos Franco of Green Fresh Florals in San Diego will transform the museum’s two-story central Rotunda into a lush and beautiful floral environment that serves as the centerpiece for the Art Alive celebration. This marks Franco’s fourth turn as Rotunda Designer — he most recently designed the Rotunda in 2014, when he transformed the space into a floral experience themed after the gardens of the Alhambra, inspired by Balboa Park’s Spanish Baroque architecture.

The floral exhibition will be open from 9am-5pm on Friday, April 28, through Sunday, April 30. General admission is free for members; $25 for nonmembers; $5 for youth ages 7-17; and free for children age 6 and under. 619.696.1999, sdmart.org/art-alive-2017

In addition to viewing the annual floral exhibition during Museum hours, Art Alive 2017 offers four full days of events, activities and celebrations featuring:

Art Alive 2017 Premiere Dinner
Thursday, April 27, 2017, 6:30pm

An intimate black-tie event, the Premiere Dinner is an exclusive dinner set within the Museum’s galleries accessible to Honorary Committee Premiere Patrons.

BLOOM BASH

Friday, April 28, 7pm – Midnight
$200 for members and $250 for nonmembers

The BLOOM BASH Opening Celebration is the official Art Alive kick off party. The celebration will feature a custom art installation by HOTTEA, the critically acclaimed installation artist whose primary medium is yarn. HOTTEA has created installations for Miami Art Basel, Long Beach Museum of Art, Minneapolis Art Institute, and more. BLOOM BASH features culinary creations from San Diego’s top restaurants and chefs, floral-infused cocktails, live music and dancing, interactive entertainment and an exclusive after-hours viewing of this year’s floral exhibition.

Terrarium Building Workshop
Saturday, April 29, 1-2:30pm
$100 members and $125 nonmembers

New for 2017, The San Diego Museum of Art is partnering with PIGMENT, the North Park boutique, to offer a floral workshop on how to build a terrarium.
Garden of Activities
Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, Noon – 4pm
Free after Art Alive admission 

Great for families, the Garden of Activities features a Museum-wide flower hunt, a children’s reading area complete with nature-inspired stories and a variety of floral-themed art projects designed for children and families to enjoy together.