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the park shares in film ventures while the Mingei's art soars |
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More than 80 park museums, performing arts venues, and cultural and recreational attractions present floral-themed family activities throughout the month of May at the third annual Buds 'n Blooms Floral Fiesta in Balboa Park, the latest component of Balboa Park Exposition 2000. The official opening ceremonies for Buds 'n Blooms are May 6 and 7. Docents and gardeners will explain plants and garden history against a backdrop of live music during the free Garden Showcase tour of six Balboa Park gardens from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 6. Meanwhile, more than 60 antique and classic cars will be displayed in the Palisades parking lot in front of the Automotive Museum on May 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Complementing opening weekend is "Art Alive," where members of garden clubs and Ikebana International, along with professional floral designers, interpret works from local art galleries through floral arrangements. "Art Alive" is presented by the San Diego Museum of Art at the Balboa Park Municipal Gym from May 5 to May 7. Among the many festival highlights are Kids' Day on May 13, when park museums display hands-on learning activities on the Prado to teach children about flowers and plants in the museums' specialty areas of photography, nature, aerospace, fine art and history. Kids may plant tomato seeds that have been in outer space, make floral-themed jewelry and hats, or march in a Funky Hat parade led by Ms. Frizzle. On May 20, information booths with handouts and experts to answer gardening and cultivation questions will line The Prado at Garden Information Day. For a calendar of events and listing by dates of all the Buds 'n Blooms activities, log on to www.balboapark.org. With its subtitle, "The Garden Fair," this year’s festival rekindles the spirit of Balboa Park's 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition. During that historic celebration, which was nicknamed "The Garden Fair," more than 2 million plants of 1,200 varieties were featured. Buds 'n Blooms visitors can view the 15 Exposition plantings which still exist today by picking up a self-guided tour booklet published by the city of San Diego Park & Recreation Department at the Visitors Center. The presenting sponsor of the 2000 Buds 'n Blooms is the San Diego Foundation, a nonprofit charity with assets of $293 million in more than 600 funds, including 13 Balboa Park Endowment Funds. These endowments have a balance of $2.1 million, and testamentary gifts totaling $15 million. "One of the purposes of Buds 'n Blooms is to highlight the maintenance and beautification projects of Balboa Park that these funds support," says Cindy Ribant, vice president of marketing and communications for the foundation. "We have lots of donors that support the foundation of Balboa Park through the funds." Some of those donors include Philip M. Klauber, Donald L. Morgan, Mary and F. Rodger Lindsay, Kevin Munnelly, J. Dallas and Mary H. Clark Fund, Polak Family Fund, Arthur P. and Jeanette Gladys Pratt Memorial Fund, and the Samuel I. and John Henry Fox Foundation. San Diego Foundation's Balboa Park Advisory Committee is a group of mostly retired folks who advise grant recommendations and provide input on how funds are spent. Members of the 1999-2000 committee, led by chair Susan Maddox of the California Children's Hospital Association, are Pamela Crooks, Pauline des Granges, Patricia De Marce, Susan Favrot, Anna Belle Gabbs, Captain Charles Guthrie, Joseph Hibben, Philip M. Klauber, David Koravos of the City of San Diego, Tim Larrick, Paul I. Meyer with Latham & Watkins, Kevin Munnelly, C.J. Paderewski, Nina Smart and Eugene Trepte. Nonvoting members are Michael Behan and Devere Brasted, both with the City of San Diego; and Kathy K. Puplava with Metro Parks Division. "Buds 'n Blooms is a wonderful display of the beauties of floriculture in the San Diego region," says Klauber, who also is co-founder of San Diego Foundation. "San Diego Foundation has over the years made grants to various causes in Balboa Park that are helpful to the success of Buds 'n Blooms. We hope it’s presented every spring throughout the future years." *** The San Diego Historical Society has appointed Nicole Holland to the new position of deputy director with dual responsibilities as director of development. Holland has more than 28 years of museum and nonprofit executive administration experience. She previously served as the autism educational outreach program coordinator at Children's Hospital in San Diego, and also held curator positions at the San Diego Museum of Art and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. *** Fans and friends of Balboa Park will be happy to see local author and photographer Andrew Hudson's romantic vision in the recently published coffee-table book, "The Magic of Balboa Park" (PhotoSecrets Publishing). This month Hudson discusses and signs the full color 140-photograph book at several San Diego locations, including two in Balboa Park: May 6 from to 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Alcazar Garden, and May 21 at 1:30 p.m. at the Museum of Photographic Arts. Call (858) 546-9276 for more. *** The Natural History Museum has partnered with San Diego-based Summerhays Films and Pronatura A.C., a Mexican environmental organization, to create "Ocean Oasis, The Story of Baja California and the Sea of Cortes," a large-format film intended for worldwide audiences. The 40-minute film features panoramic views from the Sierra San Pedro Martir mountains to the desert shores of the Baja California peninsula. Local integrated communications firm matthews/mark has been retained by the museum to foster national and international corporate partnership strategies. Future title sponsors for "Ocean Oasis," to be made available to more than 300 international IMAX theaters after its debut at the Smithsonian in the fall, will follow the footsteps of other companies that have sponsored large-format films, such as Conoco, Lockheed Corp., AOL and Home Depot. *** Mingei International Museum has named three new members to its board of directors: Linda Queen Hahn, Edward M. Smith and Lennox Tierney. They replace Diane Powers, Jean Hahn Hardy and Dr. Richard Wunder, who have rotated off the board for at least one year. And following up on an item reported in January, the Mingei now has "Art That Soars—Kites and Tails by Jackie Matisse" on display through Sept. 30. Matisse, granddaughter of Henri Matisse, is a contemporary artist who designs creative kites and tails made of aluminum, rayon, cellophane, crepe paper and spinnaker cloth. Kites from India, Japan and China also are displayed; call (619) 239-0003 for more information. |
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