
On Monday, March 26, 2018 the Dallas Museum of Art League, event chairman Dyann Skelton, honorary chairmen Barbara and Steve Durham and Nancy Cates, DMA League president, were joined by a sell-out crowd of over 350 guests for Art in Bloom 2018: Power of Flowers. Held at the Dallas Museum of Art, the highly anticipated fundraiser supports the Dallas Museum of Art’s education programs, First Tuesdays and Teen Tours, as well as the DMA League’s Floral Endowment Fund.
Celebrating 80 years, the League has contributed to the acquisition of approximately 100 works of art for the Museum while continuously supporting special exhibitions and programming.
This year’s keynote speaker, NYC-based, artist Michael De Feo, known as “The Flower Guy,” was the perfect partner for the floral inspired event. Profiled in numerous publications, he is well-known for his iconic flower image, and has spent over 25 years in more than 60 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong and more. Today, Michael’s work has been credited with the initiation of a street art movement and his most recent investigations are a re-working of fashion imagery from magazine ads by painting cascades of multicolored petals onto the printed images.
Michael’s artwork has been exhibited in numerous international galleries and museums including, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Colette, Paris; and the Museo de Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Notable exhibitions include 2005’s Two Atmospheres at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT and 2008’s Flowers at Manifesta 7 in Trento, Italy; and, in 2016, solo exhibitions at The Garage in Amsterdam, Danziger Gallery in New York and a site-specific installation at Rice Gallery in Houston, TX.

Guests were in for a special treat for Monday’s luncheon. Before Michael De Feo took the stage for presentation about his journey as an artist his “flower journey,” they had the opportunity to bid on items in a silent auction, which featured exclusive DMA experiences and luxury items. After a brief Q & A session with De Feo, attendees were led to the Atrium for a seated lunch with tables featuring floral centerpieces by David Kimmel Design. The delicious lunch, included a first course of duo of chilled cantaloupe melon soup with crisp Parma ham and salad landaise with Champagne dressing, followed by an entrée of roast breast of corn-fed chicken, peperonata, saffron-braised potatoes, basil oil, and Texas balsamic reduction. As a dessert of glazed lemon posset with homemade shortbread was being served auctioneer, Wendy Lambert, came to the podium to begin the bidding.
After the luncheon guests had the opportunity to meet Micheal as well as get an autographed copy of his children’s book, Alphabet City: Out on the Streets. The event concluded with attendees invited to enjoy Flowers – An Exhibition, which featured a unique display of floral arrangements created by local designers and inspired by works of art from the Museum’s permanent collection. Some of participating designers were: Avant Garden; David Kimmel Design; Dr. Delphinium; Forestwood Fine Flowers; Metka Floral Designs; Olive Grove Design; Petals, A Florist; Ridgeview Florist and Sage Blooms.