Books in Bloom's 14 displays include two reprisals
May 4—Sheryl Johnson and Maya Soetoro wore broad smiles as they posed near a large floral arrangement in Christ Chapel following the presentation at Gustavus Adolphus College's 2022 MAYDAY! Peace Conference.
The April 27 event was the first time Johnson, of Eagan, had met an author of one of her Books in Blooms creations. Soetoro was enjoying the inaugural experience of seeing a story she'd written transformed by a florist into a three-dimensional creation.
Johnson used cut flowers, palm leaves, fauva beans and a long twig wrapped in raffia for her interpretation of "Ladder to the Moon" — an illustrated children's book about a girl whose wish to meet her departed grandma is granted.
"I feel Sheryl captured the book's spirit and its whimsy," Soetoro said.
The author — also a co-founder of a Hawaii-based nonprofit Ceeds of Peace — noted Johnson's incorporation of colorful bird of paradise and the leathery leaved mink protea into the arrangement. Both flowers are grown in warm climates.
"It was so exciting and humbling to meet her," said Johnson, who used spider mums as a symbol of remembrance of the dead, white calla lilies to represent hope and colorful woven fabric to indicate how bridges and bonds can be formed.
Some of the cut flowers will be replaced this week so that the arrangement looks fresh for its Books in Bloom presentation Friday through Sunday.
Johnson's creation will be among 14 floral interpretations to be displayed on the main floor of the Folke Bernadotte Library.
"This year's Books in Bloom includes reprisals of two earlier, very popular works," said Dana Lamb from Gustavus' marketing and communications office, one of the coordinators of the event.
St. Peter resident Chuck Eggert has again created a dragon out of pine cones, a variety of nuts, locust pods, bromeliads and golden flowers. His earlier interpretation of "Smaug" from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" was one of the most talked about creations at the 2013 Books in Bloom.
A floral design by Bert Ledder, of Edina, will be set up in the library's rare books room. Ledder's interpretation of pages from the St. John's Bible will be displayed next to a handwritten and illuminated copy of the Bible gifted to Gustavus by Åke Bonnier, bishop in the Diocese of Skara of the Church of Sweden. He served on the college's board of trustees from 2008-2015.
The display of "blooms" is open to the public as an in-person activity. There is no admission fee for Books in Bloom; however, Friends of the Library/Gustavus Library Associates will accept donations.
Gustavus Library Associates is an affinity group that promotes learning, literature and the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library. Books in Blooms is usually a biennial event to raise funds for the library.
Last year because of pandemic restrictions on public gatherings, GLA sponsored a virtual Books in Bloom event. Sara Nett, owner of Sweet Alice Floral and Art, demonstrated how she interpreted Paul Hawken's book "Drawdown."
