Art in Bloom is the Black Mountain Center for the Arts’ signature annual event, now celebrating its 19th year. This unique celebration intertwines visual art, floral design, and garden exploration into a vibrant, multiday experience that supports the arts in Western North Carolina. This series of events is amplified with several floral-inspired workshops this month and next, furthering the nonprofit’s mission of “bringing arts to the people and people to the arts.”
BMCA employs dozens of teaching artists annually to lead programs, classes, and workshops for the Swannanoa Valley. These artists are always excited to share their passions and talents with the community, and students benefit greatly from their expertise. Having fun while learning something new and creative is at the heart of what BMCA provides, and the arts center is excited to unveil four exciting Art in Bloom-themed workshops this year.
Local artist and full-time educator Nate Barton is starting strong, leading two floral visual arts classes on Saturday, May 31. From 10:30 a.m. to noon, you can explore the art of watercolors with Wild for Watercolor Wildflowers. This watercolor class is geared toward all levels of experience. Students will learn a little bit about the medium and materials while creating paintings of wildflowers. Then, from 1-2:30 p.m., explore the very forgiving medium of oil pastels in Oil Pastels: Crayons for Grown-ups. Create an original work of art based on a flower. This class is for all levels of experience, and participants can expect to learn some techniques in addition to creating a finished work of art. Each of these classes costs $45 to register and includes all materials needed to create a beautiful work of art and gain the knowledge to continue creating in the future.
The following weekend, Mosaic Maven Michelle Bettencourt is leading one of her ever-popular mosaic workshops. Students can create their own Magic Mosaic Mushroom in this two-day workshop. In the first session, students will learn the basics of mosaic design, select and cut/break their ceramic pieces, and adhere them to a prefabricated concrete mushroom. In the second session, students will grout their pieces with several grout colors to choose from. After just two sessions, participants will leave with a beautiful mosaic mushroom for outdoor use and the knowledge to make mosaics on a number of substrates. This workshop takes place on Saturday, June 7, from 1-5 p.m. and Sunday, June 8, from 1-4 p.m. This class costs $100 and includes all supplies to make a stunning mosaic mushroom. BMCA members get a $5 discount for this class.
Wrapping up this year’s workshop lineup is yoga instructor Michelle Migyanka leading her Flowing with Flowers class on Sunday, June 21, from 8-9 a.m. This one-of-a-kind workshop will take place in the arts center’s dance studio, which will be bursting with blooms from the Art in Bloom floral exhibit. Through guided visualization, this gentle flow sequence suitable for everyone will focus on being present in the moment. The sequence aims to improve strength and flexibility, allowing participants to bloom into their best selves. This class costs $15 to register, and students should plan on wearing clothes to move in and bringing a water bottle.
More information and registration for these Art in Bloom workshops can be found on the BMCA website at BlackMountainArts.org/artinbloom. For questions, call the main office at 828-669-0930. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 W. State St.