Floral Designer Guidelines
Dates, policies, installation instructions, and materials requirements
Thank you for your interest in being part of Art in Bloom! We’re thrilled to have your creativity on board. This special event brings art to life through floral design and helps support Taos Art Museum.
To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for you and our visitors - and to protect your arrangement, the artwork on display, and the Museum's facilities - we ask that all designers follow the guidelines outlined below.
Please note: Museum staff reserves the right to remove or decline any arrangement that does not meet these policies.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, August 3
10:00 a.m. - Designer Orientation
Monday, August 31
Deadline to order flowers through Ultra Violet Floristry. You are free to source your flowers from anywhere you like; however, if you wish to purchase them through Ultraviolet Floristry, the deadline is Monday, August 31. Contact Britt Brown at Ultra Violet Floristry at (707) 517-3397.
Tuesday, September 15
Label Content Due
Please submit your list of major floral materials and a brief interpretation of your design. This information will be used for your display label. We understand designs may change based on availability of blooms closer to the event, and last-minute updates are welcome.
Wednesday, October 7
8:00–10:30 a.m. - Installation
You may either prepare your arrangement in advance and bring it ready to place, or assemble it at the Museum. Please arrive early enough to complete your setup within the time window. (More details on installations below)
5:00–7:00 p.m. - Opening Reception
Join us as we celebrate the opening of Art in Bloom!
The Best in Show ribbon will be awarded by guest judge Elizabeth Cronin during the opening reception. This award honors the arrangement with the most compelling creative interpretation and strongest connection to the artwork.
Criteria for Best in Show include:
Friday, October 9
9:30-10:30 a.m. - Required Flower Refresh/Replacement - A full refresh or replacement is required to ensure your arrangements look spectacular for the weekend crowd. Pro tip: Buy your flowers in two batches, one for the start of the week, one for the finish.
3:00 p.m. - Designers’ Choice Ribbon Awarded
A chance for designers to celebrate each other! Cast your vote for the design you feel stands out among your peers.
Sunday, October 11
4:30 p.m. - People’s Choice Ribbon Awarded
5:00 p.m. - Deinstallation
It’s always hard to say goodbye to beautiful blooms, but it’s important that the deinstallation process runs as smoothly as installation. Please read the following carefully:
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
We’re excited to welcome you to the Museum to bring your design to life! Please review the following guidelines carefully to help ensure a smooth installation for everyone.
Timing & Clean-Up
Check-in will occur in the Taos Art Museum Gardens, just past the main entrance. Museum staff and volunteers will be there to greet you, review your materials, and provide your name tag(s). We’ll also quickly check for any pests or prohibited materials. This helps us protect both the artwork and the Museum environment. If you have any questions about installation or Museum policies, this is the perfect time to ask before you begin.
What to Bring
To make your installation smooth and stress-free, we recommend bringing:
Please use extreme care when moving materials, carts, or tools through the Museum. The artwork, walls, doors, and floors are delicate, and we appreciate your attention to keeping everything safe and secure.
Working in the Museum
Pedestals
To help protect the artwork, Museum environment, and your fellow participants, all materials will be reviewed by Taos Art Museum staff and volunteers upon your arrival. Please take a moment to read the guidelines below carefully. We’re here to support your creativity while keeping the space safe for everyone.
Plant Material
If you plan to use stones, rocks, bricks, or similar materials from an outdoor garden center or area, they must be either bagged and sealed for 1 month or frozen for 1 week. This helps ensure no insects are hiding in crevices.
Arrangement Containers
Your container plays an important role in both the safety and presentation of your design. To help ensure everything stays secure, clean, and visitor-safe, please review the following container guidelines:
Water
To help protect the artwork and historic buildings, and ensure a safe environment for all, please follow these water-use guidelines carefully:
To protect the artwork, Museum environment, and visitor safety, the following materials are not permitted in any arrangements. Please review this list carefully and check your materials before arrival.
Natural Materials
No artificial flowers, plastic elements, or decorative accessories that distract from the design, including:
Lights, Electronics & Live Creatures
Painted Materials
Fabric
Watering & Refreshing Your Arrangement
To keep the galleries looking their best all week, each arrangement needs to be refreshed daily. Please review the following guidelines to help ensure your flowers stay fresh, your pedestal stays clean, and your design continues to shine.
Daily Refreshing
The Museum will carefully add water to your arrangement and dispose of any dead flowers daily.
If you would prefer to do the daily refreshing yourself:
THANK YOU!
Thank you for sharing your time, talent, and creativity with Art in Bloom at the Taos Art Museum. Your participation helps bring new life to our exhibitions, supports the Museum’s mission, and connects our community to both art and nature in meaningful ways.
As this is our second year presenting Art in Bloom, we’re learning and growing right alongside you. We appreciate your flexibility, patience, and good humor as we work together to make this event a beautiful success. We’re here to support you throughout the process, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.
To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for you and our visitors - and to protect your arrangement, the artwork on display, and the Museum's facilities - we ask that all designers follow the guidelines outlined below.
Please note: Museum staff reserves the right to remove or decline any arrangement that does not meet these policies.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, August 3
10:00 a.m. - Designer Orientation
Monday, August 31
Deadline to order flowers through Ultra Violet Floristry. You are free to source your flowers from anywhere you like; however, if you wish to purchase them through Ultraviolet Floristry, the deadline is Monday, August 31. Contact Britt Brown at Ultra Violet Floristry at (707) 517-3397.
Tuesday, September 15
Label Content Due
Please submit your list of major floral materials and a brief interpretation of your design. This information will be used for your display label. We understand designs may change based on availability of blooms closer to the event, and last-minute updates are welcome.
Wednesday, October 7
8:00–10:30 a.m. - Installation
You may either prepare your arrangement in advance and bring it ready to place, or assemble it at the Museum. Please arrive early enough to complete your setup within the time window. (More details on installations below)
5:00–7:00 p.m. - Opening Reception
Join us as we celebrate the opening of Art in Bloom!
The Best in Show ribbon will be awarded by guest judge Elizabeth Cronin during the opening reception. This award honors the arrangement with the most compelling creative interpretation and strongest connection to the artwork.
Criteria for Best in Show include:
- Artistic interpretation of the art
- Overall design - form, texture and color
- Freshness of product
- Use of mechanics (should be hidden)
Friday, October 9
9:30-10:30 a.m. - Required Flower Refresh/Replacement - A full refresh or replacement is required to ensure your arrangements look spectacular for the weekend crowd. Pro tip: Buy your flowers in two batches, one for the start of the week, one for the finish.
3:00 p.m. - Designers’ Choice Ribbon Awarded
A chance for designers to celebrate each other! Cast your vote for the design you feel stands out among your peers.
Sunday, October 11
4:30 p.m. - People’s Choice Ribbon Awarded
5:00 p.m. - Deinstallation
It’s always hard to say goodbye to beautiful blooms, but it’s important that the deinstallation process runs as smoothly as installation. Please read the following carefully:
- Arrangements may be picked up once all visitors have exited the building at 5:00 p.m. and not earlier.
- Check in with staff before removing your arrangement.
Designers who remove their arrangement without checking in may not be invited to participate in future events. - If someone else is picking up your arrangement, please let us know their name in advance.
- Trash cans will be available for floral debris. Please do not use restroom trash cans.
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
We’re excited to welcome you to the Museum to bring your design to life! Please review the following guidelines carefully to help ensure a smooth installation for everyone.
Timing & Clean-Up
- All arrangements must be fully installed, all materials removed, and your area cleaned by 10:30 a.m. sharp.
- Please clean as you go. Brooms, dustpans, and small battery-powered handheld vacuums are highly encouraged.
Check-in will occur in the Taos Art Museum Gardens, just past the main entrance. Museum staff and volunteers will be there to greet you, review your materials, and provide your name tag(s). We’ll also quickly check for any pests or prohibited materials. This helps us protect both the artwork and the Museum environment. If you have any questions about installation or Museum policies, this is the perfect time to ask before you begin.
What to Bring
To make your installation smooth and stress-free, we recommend bringing:
- A small cart or an assistant to help carry your materials
- Towels for spills
- A plastic bag for trash
- A new, unused drop cloth to be placed on the floor while you are working on your arrangement
- A small step stool as the Museum does not provide ladders.
- A dustpan and brush
Please use extreme care when moving materials, carts, or tools through the Museum. The artwork, walls, doors, and floors are delicate, and we appreciate your attention to keeping everything safe and secure.
Working in the Museum
- Please stay one arm’s length from all artworks at all times.
- Do not touch or place anything on Museum furniture, display cases, curtains, or shades.
- Floral preparations must take place only in the designated gallery area on the provided pedestal and protective plastic or drop cloth.
- Keep all tools, containers, and supplies away from nearby artwork.
- No food or flavored beverages. Covered drinking water is allowed.
- No decor may be attached to art, furniture, floors, walls, or display cases.
Pedestals
- Pedestals have been pre-placed, leveled, and lit by Museum staff. These placements are final.
- Treat pedestals with care; they are property of the Taos Art Museum.
- Do not alter, paint, or affix anything to the pedestal, except with Museum-provided putty used to secure the container.
- Maximum height of the full arrangement (including the container) is 30 inches from the top of the pedestal.
- The width of the arrangement should not exceed the pedestal width by more than two inches.
- The arrangement must not cascade more than 3 inches below the top of the pedestal.
- We encourage you to create a to-scale practice piece in advance.
- Museum staff will measure all arrangements during installation and may ask for adjustments if the dimensions are exceeded.
To help protect the artwork, Museum environment, and your fellow participants, all materials will be reviewed by Taos Art Museum staff and volunteers upon your arrival. Please take a moment to read the guidelines below carefully. We’re here to support your creativity while keeping the space safe for everyone.
Plant Material
- All plant material must be free of pests and disease. If using your own cuttings, all materials must be soaked in water overnight. If anything questionable is found during check-in, it must be bagged immediately and removed from the building.
- Stamens from flowers such as lilies, tulips, and alstroemeria must be removed before arriving and monitored daily throughout the event. Pollen can stain artwork and is not allowed near the collection.
- Dried materials may be used, but they should not dominate the arrangement.
- Dyed flowers must not bleed, drip, shed, stain, or dominate the design.
- Any artificially colored material must be water-resistant and must not bleed when exposed to moisture.
If you plan to use stones, rocks, bricks, or similar materials from an outdoor garden center or area, they must be either bagged and sealed for 1 month or frozen for 1 week. This helps ensure no insects are hiding in crevices.
Arrangement Containers
Your container plays an important role in both the safety and presentation of your design. To help ensure everything stays secure, clean, and visitor-safe, please review the following container guidelines:
- All containers will be inspected upon arrival. Containers must be stable and not top-heavy. Your arrangement should stand confidently on its own.
- The container must not exceed the footprint of the pedestal. No overhangs, please.
- On installation day, museum putty will be provided by staff or volunteers. All containers must be securely fastened to the pedestal using this putty.
- Each container may hold no more than one gallon of water. No shallow bowls or exposed pools of water are permitted.
- If using a clear container, make sure you can easily replace the water throughout the week to keep it looking clean and polished.
- Containers must be clean, watertight, and thoroughly tested in advance. If you’re unsure about leaks or condensation, we recommend using a catch basin, just in case.
- If your container leaks or sweats during the event, we will unfortunately need to remove your arrangement for the preservation of Museum property and the safety of visitors.
- No small, loose items like rocks or marbles unless they are fully enclosed or securely fixed inside the container.
Water
To help protect the artwork and historic buildings, and ensure a safe environment for all, please follow these water-use guidelines carefully:
- Water must be carried in closed, sealed, or lidded containers. Open-top buckets are not permitted.
- Wipe up any drips immediately. For larger spills, notify Museum staff right away. Your workspace must remain dry and clean at all times.
- Misting or spraying is not permitted inside the Museum or in any public areas.
- Water containers must be filled outside the Museum.
- Presoaked floral foam is allowed, but must be prepared in advance.
- Please do not use Museum restrooms to soak foam or prepare materials.
- No standing water outside the container
To protect the artwork, Museum environment, and visitor safety, the following materials are not permitted in any arrangements. Please review this list carefully and check your materials before arrival.
Natural Materials
- No untreated wood, rusted elements, or fungus
- No fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, or vegetables from any source
- No potting soil, wood chips, or tree stumps
- No materials that are prone to shedding, whether fresh or dried
- No endangered or federally protected plant
- No glue or glue guns may be used inside the Museum
- No sharp objects may be incorporated into the finished arrangement. Installation tools must be removed before the event opens.
No artificial flowers, plastic elements, or decorative accessories that distract from the design, including:
- Silk flowers
- Sequins
- Balloons
- Glitter
- Beads
- Rice
- Paper or plastic decorations
- Mats, stands, or tripods
Lights, Electronics & Live Creatures
- No electrical devices, speakers, candles, or any lighting, including LEDs
- No live animals or insects (including fish)
Painted Materials
- No wet paint. Any painted items must be fully dry and have off-gassed for at least 24 hours before installation.
- Inspect painted surfaces in advance. If paint flakes during transport or installation, the material will not be allowed.
Fabric
- Fabric may be used sparingly and must be freshly laundered.
- Please monitor any fabric throughout the event to ensure it stays clean and does not retain moisture.
Watering & Refreshing Your Arrangement
To keep the galleries looking their best all week, each arrangement needs to be refreshed daily. Please review the following guidelines to help ensure your flowers stay fresh, your pedestal stays clean, and your design continues to shine.
Daily Refreshing
The Museum will carefully add water to your arrangement and dispose of any dead flowers daily.
If you would prefer to do the daily refreshing yourself:
- Please complete it by 10:30 a.m. and wait 15 minutes after refreshing to ensure your arrangement isn’t leaking. If it leaks, you’ll be contacted and asked to return to fix it.
- Check in and out with staff each day. This is part of our required security protocol.
Only the designer or a designated assistant may be present during refreshing. - Do not dispose of floral waste in the Museum restrooms. Use the designated trash cans only.
- Do not overfill trash cans, as wet materials are heavy. If a can is full, please notify a staff member. Leave your pedestal area completely clean and dry.
THANK YOU!
Thank you for sharing your time, talent, and creativity with Art in Bloom at the Taos Art Museum. Your participation helps bring new life to our exhibitions, supports the Museum’s mission, and connects our community to both art and nature in meaningful ways.
As this is our second year presenting Art in Bloom, we’re learning and growing right alongside you. We appreciate your flexibility, patience, and good humor as we work together to make this event a beautiful success. We’re here to support you throughout the process, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.