Memphis is known for a list of things that I won’t name here for fear of being accused of leaving something out, but was the Dixon Gallery & Gardens’ biennial Memphis Flower Show on the list you were running through in your head?
Well, it should be. It’s a pretty big deal.
As Julie Pierotti, the Dixon’s Martha R. Robinson curator, says, “It is one of eight major Garden Club of America flower shows across the country. The Memphis Flower Show stands out among all of those as one of the longest-running shows. It is known for being the most cutting-edge of all flower shows.”
For this year’s show, titled “Rhythm & Hues,” participating floral designers have selected a piece of art in the Dixon’s latest exhibition, “Memphis 2024,” to interpret in their arrangements. The competing creations, Pierotti says, are “sort of like avant-garde floral design[s]. It’s unusual plant materials that the floral designers use to interpret works of art through organic materials. It’s not like a bouquet of roses or anything. They use birds-of-paradise and all these sort of exotic plants in a lot of their arrangements.”
The floral designers will travel from all over the country for the presentation, but the show is also an opportunity for local contemporary artists to shine. After all, “Memphis 2024,” the coinciding exhibition and inspiration for these arrangements, solely features Memphis artists: Jimpsie Ayres, Jamond Bullock, Kevin Burge, Ben Butler, Kelly Cook, Brantley Ellzey, EMYO, Nelson Gutierrez, Amy Hutcheson, Thad Lee, Pam McDonnell, Carl E. Moore, Kong Wee Pang, Cat Peña, Nikii Berry Richey, Lonnie Robinson, Laurel Sucsy, and Mikayla Washington.
“It is a great sampling of the art that’s being made right now,” Pierotti says of the exhibition. “It’s different media. We’ve got mixed media, metalwork, ceramics, fiber art, painting, sculpture, everything. It’s just a little bit of everything and I think there’s something for everyone in the show.”
While “Memphis 2024” will be on display through June 30th, people will only be able to see the works in conjunction with the floral arrangements this weekend during the flower show. In addition to floral design, the show will highlight conservation, horticulture and natural compositions, photography, and jewelry and accessories embellished with botanical life.
“It’s our biggest weekend every two years,” Pierotti adds. “The last time we did a flower show we saw close to 5,000 people over the course of a weekend, which for the Dixon, that’s a lot of people.”
Memphis Flower Show: Rhythm & Hues, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park Avenue, Saturday, April 13, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. | Sunday, April 14, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., free.