Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – The Department of Art + Design at Arkansas State University has a three-day event that started on Wednesday, April 15, combining ecology and art through a series of events for those on campus and the surrounding Jonesboro community.
“During the Festival of Flowers, we will have opportunities to engage with the theme through presentations from faculty and graduate students, workshops and native plant giveaways, and activities in downtown Jonesboro,” said Dr. Katherine Baker, department chair of Art + Design.
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Baker said one of the goals is to bring the campus and community closer together.
“The mission of this event is to provide connections through a shared appreciation of native plants, flowers and other botanicals. By highlighting the natural beauty of Northeast Arkansas, the Festival of Flowers will celebrate regional ecology, creativity, and community connection,” Baker added.
On Wednesday, April 15, a series of academic sessions was held from 9 a.m. until noon in room 2028 of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. In the three 50-minute sessions, faculty members and graduate students from across campus spoke on the ways science, history, and art interact and have interacted.
“These areas – art, science, and history – are often seen as separate entities. What we hope to demonstrate is their integral connection to one another and how cultures across history have understood that these disciplines are interwoven with one another,” Baker said. “For example, with botanical dyes, we have botany and chemistry linked to making beautiful textiles that can be used to make clothing and other decorative arts.”
Events taking place on Thursday, April 16, will focus on flowers and art. From 9 until 10:30 a.m., attendees can learn more about growing flowers native to Arkansas and about pollination. Free packets of seeds will be available at this event, which will be in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center.
From 11 – 11:30 a.m. Kristen Franyutti will present “From Garden to Cloth,” an exploration of botanical dyes in the same location.
From 11 a.m. – noon, “The Living Palette” will allow attendees to represent flowers through drawing and watercolor.
“The Department of Art + Design strives to be one of the epicenters for the artistic community in Northeast Arkansas, and we want to actively engage with the wider region with exciting programming. We hope to continue sponsoring more engaging events to bring together and highlight what A-State, art, and our thriving Jonesboro community have to offer,” Baker continued.
Also happening Thursday, an exhibition will be held in the Fine Arts Center Gallery, with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. The show will include works from the A-State Herbarium and entries from a flower arranging competition. For the latter, participants were challenged to interpret the color, mood, symbolism, composition, or emotional intensity of a piece of art housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The last event will be “A Night Downtown,” which will be from 5 – 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17. This event is open to everyone, and several downtown vendors will participate.
“We have teamed up with Gearhead Outfitters, who will be having a ‘Spring in your Step Fun Run’ followed by a stretching session. Generations Floral Company will host flower arranging tutorials, including making your own bouquets and creating personalized bookmarks. There will also be a photo-op at this location. At Something Art Cafe, people can make their own buttons, create Gelli prints, learn about pollination, and get free coloring pages, stickers, and temporary tattoos,” Baker concluded.
She said this is also a way to welcome the renewal of the spring season, while promoting awareness about issues of sustainability in our lives.
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