Featured photo: Chrysa Curran creates custom designed unique spring apparel-raincoats, sundresses, scarves, and other accessories at Chrysa’s Studio, 522 Saginaw St., Flint. Curran’s work will be featured at First Bloom: Artful Bling and Pleasing Things.
Written by Tanya Terry
First Bloom: Artful Bling and Pleasing Things is a fun event in which women can see art, shop and pamper themselves. This year’s event will be bigger and better than before, featuring the work of over 40 artists and artisans. It will be held from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, April 2 and 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, April 3. It is being held at the Flint Cultural Center Academy. Therefore, attending the event will allow attendees to see the inside of a building they likely saw being built from the ground up.
Women’s attire, lots of jewelry, accessories, soaps and lotions, glass art, wood art, greeting cards, books, as well as items associated with the arrival of spring will be on display and for sale. Some artists will feature bird houses and planters that are aimed for the spring, which begins March 20 this year. The prices of the items range from about $5 to several hundred dollars. Members of the Founders Society felt women in particular would find these items appealing and enjoy them.
The Founders Society has been around since 1958. The 501(c) (3) is an auxiliary organization that operates within the Flint Institute of Arts (FIA). The organization puts on various projects and programs to support the activities of the FIA. Members participate solely to help support the community, according to James Draper, president of the Founders Society.
The name First Bloom was suggested by a former member of the Founders Society, Buke Hiziroglu, whose family members are also big supporters of the FIA.
The Founders Society was looking for a name and event that would go along with their fall art show, First Frost, according to Draper.
“We wanted to tailor this like First Frost, which is a two-day event,” Draper told the Courier. “First Frost was being held at the Flint Institute of Arts, but we are moving to the Flint Cultural Center Academy this fall. We needed more room in order to not reduce the number of artisans we could have.”
First Bloom was scheduled in 2020 and in 2021 but was canceled due to COVID-19.
“We had our first try-out to see if it was viable back in 2019, and we had 12 artists at the Farmer’s Market,” Draper said. “That was a one day event. It showed us this was popular, and it could very well be transitioned to a two-day event.”
The Founders Society is expecting 1,000-1,500 attendees to First Bloom total throughout the weekend, similarly to their First Frost event.
Owner of Case Island Glass
Art name: handkerchief glass vase
Note: Parker is also a well known local attorney.
The 36-foot-long Learning Stairs at the Flint Cultural Center Academy will also be utilized to feature greenery from Gerych’s greenhouse and flowers. This not will give the event a spring-time feel, but the items on the stairs will also be for sale.
First Bloom! Artful Bling & Pleasing Things, as an event intended primarily for women, was suggested by Founders’ board member, Robert Van Dyne. Van Dyne is an engineer and an accomplished artist himself. He had been coordinating the artist selection committee for the Founders Society’s First Frost event almost since its inception in 2006.
There is a $5 admission charge for this event. All funds raised help support the activities of the Flint Institute of Arts.
