The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts will hold an Art in Bloom Exhibition and Extravaganza from April 3-5.
For the third consecutive year, the museum will feature galleries displaying floral arrangements and artwork.
The main attraction of the event will be the “Remix Revolution” exhibit designed by 1963 Auburn graduate Raymond Waites.
Waites, who serves on the Design Advisory Boards at both the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Kent State University, is internationally known for helping to begin the American Country movement. He is president and CEO of Raymond Waites Design Inc., which is based in New York.
Coming back to the Plains will be a welcome trip for Waites.
“It’s like returning home,” said Waites, a native of Demopolis. “Auburn has a special place in my heart— it opened up the world to me and was instrumental in helping me get to where I am today.”
The well-traveled artist describes his upcoming exhibit at the Jule Collins Smith Museum as “unexpected.”
Waites said one theme of this particular collection of artwork is how items from different time periods clash together.
Waites has no doubt his work will be a hit with viewers.
“I know I will be successful here because I’m going to have a good time,” he said.
Andy Tennant, the associate director of the Jule Collins Smith Museum, says the city is thrilled to have Waites showcase his work here in Auburn.
“We’re very happy to have him here,” Tennant said. “He is a world-renowned artist who has been putting out great work for years.”
Tennant says he feels the Art in Bloom exhibit is popular in part due to the environment in Auburn.
“People in this area seem to love flowers,” he said. “The designers have some exceptional ideas for their floral arrangements, and I think the people here appreciate them.”
Tennant said the types of designs on display make this a unique exhibit.
“The artists pick a floral design, and then use wood or metal to sculpt something to complement that design,” Tennant said.
The Art in Bloom exhibition in Auburn stems from the original one held more than 30 years ago at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Exhibits similar to this one are some of the most highly-attended art shows in the country.
Thursday, April 3, the exhibit will officially open at 10 a.m. and will be available for viewing until 5 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., Waites will deliver the opening night lecture, “From Auburn University to the Global Remix.”
The next day at 6 p.m., two auctions benefiting the museum will take place. Also, the museum will showcase several designs by up to 20 representatives of Garden Clubs of Alabama Inc.
Waites will offer his “Demonstration Lecture of the Global Remix” on Saturday, April 5.
The speech will center on how he gained inspiration for his work from trips throughout the globe, including stops in China, Indonesia and Amsterdam just to name a few.
Waites’ artwork will remain on display from April 3 through May 10.
Admission to the museum is free for Auburn students during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. through the week.
