2014 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show Explores Fusion of Art and Horticulture

PHILADELPHIA— Beautiful flowers, gardens and landscapes have always been an inspiration for artists, while great horticultural design has become a form of living art.
The fusion of art and horticulture will be celebrated in “ARTiculture,” an extraordinary presentation of the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show on March 1 to 9, 2014, when guests will be inspired to let their inner-artist bloom in their own gardens.
An unprecedented collaboration of Flower Show designers and the nation’s great art museums will turn the exhibition space of the Pennsylvania Convention Center into a 10-acre living canvas of exquisite landscapes, gardens and floral arrangements.
PHS also will announce the hot new flowers, plants, products and design ideas for Spring 2014 at the Flower Show to serve as a consumer’s guide to creating fantastic home gardens.
The entrance garden of “ARTiculture” will be inspired by the paintings and dynamic sculptures of Alexander “Sandy” Calder, a member of the historic family of artists whose works are found throughout Philadelphia, and will feature a remarkable vertical dance troupe who will perform above and within the multi-dimensional display.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will partner with internationally renowned art museums, organizations and institutions for the exhibits in “ARTiculture.” Participants include the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City), the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.), the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia), the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia), the University of Pennsylvania Museum (Philadelphia), the Brandywine River Museum (Chadds Ford, Pa.), the Brooklyn Museum (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the Noguchi Museum (Long Island City, N.Y.), Storm King Art Center (Hudson Valley, N.Y.), Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton, N.J.), the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh, N.C.), Fresh Artists (Philadelphia), the Wayne Art Center (Wayne, Pa.), and the Woodmere Art Museum (Philadelphia).
The region’s great garden clubs will be paired with area art schools — the University of the Arts, Philadelphia University, Moore College of Art, and PAFA — to compete in the show’s Artistic Classes.
Special exhibitions at the show will include a selection of the Andy Warhol “Flowers” Series from the Bank of America Collection; selections from the West Collection, of Oaks, Pa.; and works by sculptor Steve Tobin, of Bucks County, Pa.
International exhibitors in the 2014 show will include British garden designer Andy Sturgeon and Provence-based garden designer James Basson, whose exhibit will be inspired by a painting from the Collection of the Prince’s Palace Monaco.
An interactive exhibit designed by the Crayola Experience will give show visitors the opportunity to express themselves in the Convention Center’s Grand Hall. Visitors also will show their artistic side in an expanded “Make 8, Take Room,” where they can create a variety of craft and garden projects. The family attractions at the show will include the Butterfly Experience, where visitors will interact with 20 species of exotic and domestic butterflies, and the Camden Children’s Garden.
Let yourself bloom at the interactive, collaborative 2014 Flower Show, and leave equipped to practice “ARTiculture” in your own home and garden.
ABOUT THE FLOWER SHOW:
The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest flower show, which blooms every March at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The show features the world’s premier landscape designers and florists, who turn 10 acres of the Convention Center into a floral fantasy of beautiful plants and cutting-edge designs.
In addition to the major garden displays, the Flower Show hosts world-renowned competitions in horticulture and artistic floral arranging, gardening presentations and demonstrations, special events, a mammoth indoor Marketplace, and a Flower Show Week celebration throughout the Philadelphia region.
The Premier Sponsor of the 2014 Flower Show is Subaru, and the Exclusive Sponsor is Bank of America.
Official Sponsors are ACME, Bartlett Tree Experts, Einstein Healthcare Network, EP Henry, Green Mountain Energy, Organic Gardening, Pam Casino, and Tourism Ireland. Supporting Sponsor is Celebrity Cruises. Contributing Sponsors are LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing, and QVC. Promotional Partners are Apple Vacations, Collette Vacations, Cruise Planners, Gold Key Resorts, Greater Philadelphia Falun Dafa Association, Mid-Atlantic Center for Arts & Humanities, On the Avenue Marketing, and Power Home Remodeling. Garden Tea Sponsor is Stash Tea. Preview Party Sponsor is U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Media Partners are WPVI-TV 6abc and CBS Radio.
Proceeds from the Flower Show benefit the year-round programs of PHS, which is celebrating its 186th year of gardening, greening and learning. PHS initiatives include the PHS City Harvest program, which creates green jobs and supports a network of community gardens that raise fresh produce for more than 1,200 families in need each week during the growing season.
For more information, please visit www.theflowershow.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.