By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt.
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 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.
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Pat Crisafulli's display above and the Seated Bodhisattva that inspired her. |
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Rick Spear, from the Point Loma Garden Club, with the piece that inspired him: #46, by Karl Stanley Benjamin. |
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