BY KATIE HENDRICK VINCENT Snapshot
LOVE BLOOMS > On Sunday, May 31, residents of Birmingham, Alabama, came out in droves to protest the death of George Floyd while under police custody and to support the Black Lives Matter movement — a peaceful event that, hours later, was followed by looting, vandalism and violence in the city’s business district. The dual issues — systemic racism in the United States and civil unrest in her community — weighed heavily on Carolyn Chen, owner of Wild Things, who decided she wanted to confront the sadness and frustration with something lovely and inspiring. Chen envisioned a massive floral arch covering Birmingham’s
famed 46-foot-tall “Magic City” sign that marks the entrance of the Rotary Trail, a pedestrian-friendly path that has been a rare place locals could go for a respite from coronavirus cabin fever. She consulted a friend, Mary Cox Brown of Marigold Designs, to gauge her interest for this hypothetical project (extremely high), and soon the two women had city approval and had recruited an event company to provide a scissor lift, three wholesalers to donate product and more than 30 fellow florists to bring her vision to life. Society of American Florists Next Gen Task Force member Cameron
Pappas of Norton’s Florist immediately jumped at the opportunity to participate. “I wanted to give our city something beautiful to look at, rather than broken glass and boarded up windows,” he said. “As florists, we know that flowers bring joy to all situations. This seemed a great way to express unity, as otherwise competitors came together to help our city heal.” Fellow SAF member Mandy Majerik, AIFD, PFCI, owner of Hothouse
Design Studio and PropHouse Birmingham, described the display as “a love letter” to Birmingham. “We didn’t do it for the glory,” she said. “We did it because it was our way of bringing positivity to the streets the best way we knew how — with flowers.” The installation generated major publicity both during and
after construction. Both Pappas and Majerik appeared on television broadcasts. While she was interviewed, Majerik watched passersby touch and smell the flowers, with some stealing a few blooms to press as a memento of the time. Countless photos surfaced on social media, as well. “It was perfect timing for a few brides and grooms who were surprised and delighted to have this beautiful backdrop!” Majerik said.
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing writer and editor for Floral Management.
kvincent@safnow.org
WORK IN PROGRESS The florists opted not to create a seamless arch, but rather to incorporate a sizeable gap — symbolic of what remains to be done to truly give all Americans equal rights and opportunities. “We decided leaving the gap would open up a conversation,” said Carolyn Chen, who spearheaded the project. “It calls for questions like, ‘What’s missing in our education system?’ ‘How far are we from effecting change?’ If the gap made people uncomfortable, I’m glad. Because we all need to get more comfortable with uncomfortable conversations.”
The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF) 13
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DAVID HILLEGAS
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