Nature and art's healing powers

A groundbreaking study by Australian researchers following individuals in their 60s found that those who made gardening a part of their regular routine had a 36 per cent lower risk of dementia. Whether or not the benefits of gardening will extend your life, science continues to learn more about the healing powers of nature and flowers.

Now the science on the healing power of art is making new waves at major art galleries around the world, including right here in Winnipeg, home to Canada’s oldest civic art museum. The therapeutic potential of art and its relationship to wellness is shaping the future of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG).

Rachel Baerg, head of education at the WAG, says that one of the WAG’s goals moving forward is to create a vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive social space where visual art can serve as a catalyst for positive social change, creativity, reconciliation and healthy living in our community.

It’s a tall order and yet we know that anxiety is increasingly on the rise and that we seek out spaces where we can go for rejuvenation and relaxation. The process of making art together is a wellness practice that connects us to one another, as well as to our natural world. The WAG is keen to explore the whole notion of a social prescription for wellness.

Art in Bloom, a community organized event that blossoms every two years at the WAG, takes place April 11 to 14. "This extraordinary collaborative effort is a cultural conversation and a symbol of a community coming together to celebrate creativity, beauty and wellness," Baerg says.

Never underestimate the power of awe. At the 2017 Art in Bloom, I was stopped in my tracks from the first moment I stepped through the front door of the art gallery and was greeted by a rose wall consisting of 800 ultra long stem red roses (up to 243 centimetres tall).

Baerg paints us a picture of what will greet visitors to this year’s event. As you enter the main space known as Eckhardt Hall, there will be the breathtaking artwork, Androgyny, by Norval Morrisseau, one of the leading Anishinaabe artists of his time. Created in 1983, this massive (365.7 by 152.4 cm) artwork speaks to the interconnectedness of life, people and nature, Baerg says.

An expansive floral mural (365.7 by 640 cm) consisting of 24 panels will juxtapose Morrisseau’s painting.

The living wall, once completed, won’t be a replication of the artwork by Morrisseau, but rather 24 separate pieces that together make up a whole floral composition. Each panel is constructed with a wooden frame that measures 91 by 99 cm. Once floral stems are inserted into the moistened floral foam in the frame, a single panel may weigh in excess of 27 kilograms.

The floral interpreters — professional and amateur floral designers of all ages and backgrounds — only see what others have created on the day of the preview party, April 11, when they arrive early in the morning to assemble the living wall.

The flowers have been provided by Art in Bloom’s major sponsor, Petals West, a leading Winnipeg-based wholesale supplier of ethically sourced fresh flowers that are shipped across North America. In February, interpreters walked through the coolers at Petals West to make their selections and place their orders. Dawn Ormiston, of Petals West, is one of the interpreters. She says that people are completely fascinated when they see the range of flower varieties.

As visitors go into the gallery spaces, Baerg says, they will see more than 80 floral interpretations of artworks ranging from 15th-century painted panels to contemporary pieces. Interpreters include community partners such as Art City and House of Peace.

As every gardener knows, gardens are about perfect partners — scintillating combinations of flowers and foliage that stimulate all of our senses with their colours, textures, scents and visual beauty. Art in Bloom is sure to be a gardener’s delight. Budding flower arrangers will also be in their element when they see the colours and artistry of the interpretive floral creations.

There will also be the aroma of freshly cut flowers for purchase, as well as freshly brewed coffee, cappuccino and espresso. Pop-up shops selling delicious chocolates and pastries will be there, too.

But wait, there is so much more.

This spring, the WAG launched Art to Inspire, a unique program designed to creatively engage people who are living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, and their care partners, with visual art. "It is a conversation, not a walk and talk," Baerg says. Participants have the opportunity to make art together in a supportive setting that is led by specially trained art educators and teaching artists.

"The program was developed in partnership by the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba and the University of Manitoba College of Rehabilitation Sciences," Baerg says, "and has been wonderfully successful."

The Art in Bloom festival includes hands-on workshops. In just two examples, Kelly Tellier of Lily Stone Gardens will lead a workshop on whimsical garden arrangements and Sharlene Nielsen, owner of Front Door Stories, will show you how to make an aromatic eucalyptus wreath. The workshops begin on April 12.

There will also be talks on art, flowers and the power of nature throughout Art in Bloom. Dr. Stephen Borys, WAG director and CEO, will discuss Nature Rearranged: The Still Life in Painting. Borys is also interpreting one of the artworks. He says that the multisensory experience of living plants, especially flowers in bloom, brings a whole new dynamic to the gallery spaces. "It’s another way that we can use visual art to make our community better and for the WAG to contribute," Borys says. "It’s incredibly powerful."

Hennie Corrin and Hazel Borys are the co-chairwomen of Art in Bloom. Good friends, they share a lively and infectious enthusiasm for art, nature and community, and especially for Winnipeg, the city they call home. Corrin is a horticultural therapist and founder of Floral Philanthropy. Borys is a passionate city planner who offers solutions for injecting nature into the urban landscape to cities around the world.

Corrin and Borys are giving a presentation called Mother Nature: The Ultimate Healer. They will talk about the science behind the healing landscape and the effect of time spent in nature on both our physical and mental well-being.

They view Art in Bloom as both a friend-raiser and a fundraiser.

What happens to the flowers when the event ends? Corrin doesn’t like to waste anything. She repurposes tens of thousands of flower stems annually from weddings and social events through Floral Philanthropy and is committed to paying flowers forward to bedsides at hospitals and care facilities. Volunteers will disassemble the flower displays and deliver them to whoever needs a little healing, Corrin says.

All funds raised from Art in Bloom will go to support wellness initiatives at the WAG. Fill your prescription for the healing power of flowers. For more details, visit wag.ca.

colleenizacharias@gmail.com