Flowers as Muse: Curatorial Constraint and Creative Programming at Casa Romantica

ID: WMA2026_533

Track:

At Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens in San Clemente, California, the Greenhouse residency invites local florists to transform a gallery studio into a living and evolving work of art. When one week of the residency lacked a participating florist, a companion exhibition, Flowers as Muse, explored the relationship between flowers and art history through still life paintings, a live arrangement, and participatory activities. This case study highlights how curatorial constraints can inspire creative programming and community collaboration.

Session Information

Format: Regular session/panel (roundtable, single speaker, etc.)

Uniqueness: This case study shows how curatorial constraints can inspire innovative programming, connecting community artists, unconventional mediums, and participatory exhibition design to create engaging gallery experiences.

Objectives:

This session will explore how curatorial constraints can become opportunities for creative programming and community collaboration. Using the Greenhouse residency and the exhibition Flowers as Muse at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens as a case study, participants will examine strategies for integrating unconventional artistic mediums into gallery programming. Participants will leave the session with three key takeaways:

1. Reframing creative practices within gallery spaces. Participants will explore how artistic practices commonly encountered outside museums, such as floral design, can be presented within a curatorial framework that connects them to broader art historical traditions.
2. Collaborating with local creative communities. The session will highlight how working with artists already active within a community can create meaningful partnerships while expanding the range of artistic voices represented in institutional programming.
3. Designing participatory exhibition experiences. Participants will consider how interactive elements such as drawing stations, collaborative composition activities, and hands-on experimentation can deepen visitor engagement and create accessible entry points for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Through discussion and reflection, participants will be encouraged to consider how similar approaches might be adapted within their own institutions.

Engagement: This session will begin with a brief case study presentation introducing the Greenhouse residency and the exhibition Flowers as Muse. Participants will then engage in discussion and hands-on activities inspired by the exhibition’s interactive elements, including drawing and collaborative floral composition exercises. Through guided conversation and experimentation, participants will explore how unconventional mediums, community artists, and participatory interpretation can activate gallery spaces and encourage new ways for visitors to experience art.

Relationship to Theme:

Audience

Audiences: Curators/Scientists/Historians Events Planning Other 

Professional Level: All levels 

Scalability: The strategies discussed in this session can be adapted to institutions of many sizes and types. The Greenhouse residency and the exhibition Flowers as Muse demonstrate how small, temporary installations and partnerships with local artists can activate gallery spaces without requiring large budgets or permanent infrastructure. Museums, historic sites, and cultural centers can apply similar approaches by collaborating with community artists, experimenting with unconventional mediums, and incorporating low-cost participatory elements that encourage visitor engagement.

Participants