Bouquets to Art has been called San Francisco’s harbinger of spring, an annual event which began in 1984 at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and in recent years has shown at the M.H. de Young Museum.  Sponsored by the San Francisco Auxiliary of Fine Arts Museums, 150 floral designers are juried and then invited to pick a work of art and interpret this piece with fresh flowers. Oils and watercolors, glass and bronze, baskets and rugs, the design possibilities are endless.

Martin Johnson Heade 1819-1904 , Twilight Singing Beach, 1863 , oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. & Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, 1993.35.12

Upon the referral of Kate’s friend and colleague, floral designer extraordinaire, Jun Pinon, Kate joined this yearly celebration in 2008.  The weeklong celebration not only includes the floral exhibits, but an opening night gala, lectures, master design classes, luncheons, and teas.  To help further promote the event, designers are invited to install a piece of floral art at a Union Square shop or boutique, as well as join the “Meet the Florists” activity, where you are at the ready to meet museum visitors next to your piece, throughout the week.

Richard Diebenkorn 1922 – 1993, Ocean Park 116, 1979 , oil on canvas, gift of Mrs. Paul L. Wattis, 2000.20