Walking into Crystal Bridges Museum during Art in Bloom feels like stepping into a fairy tale. The scent of fresh blooms mixes with quiet voices of wonder, and museum halls that usually echo with soft footsteps suddenly come alive with colour. Floral arrangements turn every corner into living art, making visitors pause longer and breathe deeper. Art doesn’t just speak to your eyes here – it fills every sense.
Althea Wiles has been at the heart of this sensory celebration for six years. The Northwest Arkansas floral artist has made Art in Bloom her creative playground, bringing three decades of floristry experience and deep Ozark Mountain roots to the annual festival. What makes her work special is her love affair between literature and blooms, turning museum galleries into storybook scenes.
When Books Become Bouquets
This year, Wiles found inspiration in the pages of J.J. Grandville’s ‘The Flowers Personified’, a 19th-century collection of whimsical illustrations showing flowers as elegantly dressed Victorian ladies. The 1847 work, originally titled ‘Les Fleurs Animées’, featured 50 hand-coloured engravings that blended botanical beauty with period fashion, creating dreamlike figures that were part flower, part woman.
‘Grandville’s books of anthropomorphised plants and flowers spoke directly to my passions of reading and floristry,’ Wiles explains. She brought these literary ladies to life using hot pink anemones, various shades of pink ranunculus and dianthus varieties including Green Trick dianthus, Sweet William, standard carnations and miniature carnations. Her signature ‘floral ladies’ looked like living sculptures stepping straight from Grandville’s imagination into the museum’s Garrison Lobby.
The choice reflects how Wiles approaches floral design differently. Where others might see flowers as decoration, she sees stories waiting to be told. Grandville’s work connected to Victorian trends in leisure reading and floriography – the symbolic language of flowers – making it perfect inspiration for someone who sees books and blooms as natural companions.
Teaching Through Petals
Wiles doesn’t just create installations at Art in Bloom – she shares her knowledge as both Florist Liaison and educator. Her role expanded beyond her featured display to include teaching floral design classes. The popular ‘Floral Design FUNdamentals’ workshop on 24 May drew participants eager to create their own vase arrangements inspired by Clara Driscoll’s Wisteria Table Lamp.
That particular piece holds special significance. Driscoll, who headed Tiffany Studios’ Women’s Glass Cutting Department around 1905, designed the famous lamp using nearly 2,000 pieces of glass to create the illusion of blooming wisteria vines. Her work drew heavily on natural motifs, especially flowers, making her perfect inspiration for a floral workshop connecting historical craftsmanship with contemporary creativity.
Wiles also hosted a floral popup during the Art in Bloom weekend festivities, answering floral-related questions for both the Crystal Bridges team and curious visitors who wanted to understand how museum spaces become floral galleries.
Beyond the Gallery Walls
The 2025 Art in Bloom festival ran from 23-27 May, featuring both indoor installations inspired by the museum’s artwork and six outdoor floral displays that remained through 8 June during Garden Week. The event offered a complete sensory experience – from intimate gallery moments where visitors could study the relationship between painted flowers and living blooms, to wandering museum trails where container gardens echoed outdoor sculptures.
The festival included educational opportunities beyond traditional floral workshops. Expert-guided firefly searches, cocktail tours inspired by the floral displays and a family-friendly Garden Party on 1 June with flower crown making turned the entire museum grounds into a celebration of natural beauty and artistic expression.
A Longtime Creative Partnership
Wiles’ relationship with Art in Bloom spans years of creative exploration. Her previous installations have drawn inspiration from iconic pieces in the museum’s collection, including Dale Chihuly’s Azure Icicle Chandelier and Karen LaMonte’s Dress Impression with Wrinkled Cowl. Each year brings fresh interpretations that elevate the relationship between flowers and fine art.
This consistency has made her a respected fixture visitors look for year after year. Her Arkansas Master Florist Certification and Bachelor of Arts from Hendrix College provide the technical foundation, but it’s her ability to see connections between different art forms that sets her work apart.
Community in Full Bloom
What makes Art in Bloom special goes beyond individual installations. The festival creates a space where museum-goers, local residents and flower enthusiasts come together to experience creativity in new ways. Visitors who might never pick up a floral design book find themselves captivated by the stories behind each arrangement. Art lovers discover new appreciation for botanical beauty. Families create memories while children learn that museums can be places of wonder rather than just quiet observation.
Wiles embodies this community spirit. ‘Art in Bloom at Crystal Bridges is one of my favourite events of the year because designers are invited to create floral interpretations of artworks displayed in the museum. It’s this beautiful intersection of fine art, botanical artistry and community celebration.’
Her role extends beyond creating beautiful displays. Through her workshops, popup events and willingness to share knowledge, she becomes a bridge between the sometimes intimidating world of fine art and the accessible joy of working with flowers. She helps visitors see that creativity isn’t reserved for professionals – it’s something anyone can explore, whether through arranging a simple bouquet or finding new ways to experience art.
The magic of Art in Bloom lies in these moments of discovery. Museum halls fill with the scent of fresh blooms and the sound of delighted conversation. Visitors linger longer, not just looking at art but experiencing it with all their senses. Through her unique blend of literary inspiration and floral artistry, Wiles helps create an event that changes both the museum and everyone who walks through its doors during those special spring days.
