LM Flower Show Club blossoms in Philly

This past month, thirteen of LM’s metal arts students placed in the Philadelphia Flower Show, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from February 27 to March 8. This was a culmination of months of hard work by the Flower Show Club.

Every year, the Philadelphia Flower Show, the world’s oldest and largest indoor flower show, attracts more than a quarter million visitors. All of the proceeds from the Flower Show go to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, or PHS, an organization that focuses on beautifying the streets and buildings of Philadelphia by adding more greenery. About 20 years ago, LM became one of the first high schools in the area to enter a competitive exhibit in the Flower Show, and they have entered a display every year since.

The Flower Show Club, sponsored by English teacher Lynne Freeland, meets about once a month when they plan their exhibit and grow their plants. Several weeks before the show, the exhibit is brought to the Convention Center and assembled. This year, the theme of the Flower Show was “Celebrate the Movies.” Each exhibit had a different movie theme. LM built a garden with a beach theme. LM students began the building of the exhibit in the beginning of the school year and dedicated many hours to growing the plants and designing the display. Their exhibit placed third with an impressive score of 93/100.

Art teacher Harriett Ackerman’s students in metal arts 3H and 4H now enter pieces of their artwork for the show too. When asked about the connection between jewelry and elements of nature, Ackerman pointed out that “in ancient civilization, people would adorn themselves with natural ornamentation.” The metal arts students entered in the category of “Animation Imitation,” which is defined as “a brooch or medallion that a character from a Disney/Pixar movie would wear.” All visible pieces of artwork must be made out of plant material, so the students had to start collecting supplies back in the fall. There are many rules about what materials can and cannot be visible, and all the artwork must be approved before being allowed in the show.

Amanda Trautmann ’17, who created a piece of art for the show, explained that “it can be really stressful, because everything needs to be painted at home, and there are a lot of rules and restrictions.” The hard work did pay off though: all entrants placed in one of the top three slots. Trautmann, Emily Murphy ’17, Jillian Rothstein ’17, Emily Goniea ’17, Maya Laincz ’17, and Sarah Wilson-Leslie ’17 received third while Mariana Doughtery (’15), Hana Holquist ’15, Yael Dormont ’15, Arielle Herzberg ’15, and Lauren Breslow ’15 placed in second. In first place were Jen Crainic ’16 and Alyssa Pollack ’17.

The art pieces can be found in a display case outside of Ackerman’s classroom, and many of the plants can be found in LM’s greenhouse. If you are impressed with the products and want to take part next year, the Flower Show Club will be meeting in May to discuss possible exhibits for the Flower Show of 2016!

#politics