Revisiting Art Alive 2025

 By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt.

Floral Designer David Root’s creation and his inspiration

Circle Blue-Violet by DeWain Valentine

We hadn’t been to see San Diego Museum of Art in full bloom for awhile…three days in late April when they become “a kaleidoscope of botanical and floral delights.”  That’s what happens when floral designers from all over our region face off with selected artworks from SDMA’s permanent collection  and come up with their own garden-grown interpretations.

 This time, we were there on the morning of the first day, Friday, April 25^th, for the Members’ Preview…and so were thousands of others. It seems to be one of the best-attended art events in the County!

 

The Rotunda Centerpiece.

This year’s theme was Art and Architecture, and the first thing we saw when we entered the Museum was the brilliantly architected kinetic centerpiece in the Rotunda, designed by Water Lily Pond, specifically Natasha Lisitsa and Daniel Schultz, an internationally renowned wife-and-husband team from San Francisco. The 40-foot-tall installation was inspired by the work of Norman Foster, a British architect known for his high-tech designs.

The Art Alive 2025 team chose the works of 72 artists to put on display throughout the museum and we made up our minds to discover every one of them, take photos, talk to a few of the designers who were present, and do it all as quickly as possible, before the real crowds arrived. We would choose our own favorites, and find out later that day who the prizewinners were, after all Art Alive viewers had turned in their voting ballots.

Above you’ll see our personal favorite, a piece by San Diego-based David Root, whose floral design roots go deep. He has spent over three decades designing and teaching, has won many awards, and  currently works with Pacific Event Productions. That evening we learned he had won second place.

The first-place winner was one of our favorites as well: Here’s the Basket Vendor by June Meehan, a member of the Crown Garden Club in Coronado, and her inspiration, an ivory piece crafted over a century ago.  

 Below are some of the others we most enjoyed seeing. Hope you enjoy seeing them now.

 

 Mary Lou Gibson and the camel that inspired her. “I’m a first-time designer here,” she said. “I’m a virologist, and I found this base 20 years ago in a thrift shop. It was too big for my kitchen table, but perfect for Art Alive, since everything had to fit on a 24-inch-diameter round table and be no taller than 36 inches high!”

Pat Crisafulli's display above and the Seated Bodhisattva that inspired her.

Ikebana artist Armando W.M. Argandoña with his larger interpretation of the small Plaque (Landscape) to his right. Like other Ikebana artists who participated in this exhibition, he had to create his piece on site.

Rick Spear, from the Point Loma Garden Club, with the piece that inspired him: #46, by Karl Stanley Benjamin.

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles in San Diego County for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net