From left, Kinston High School students Ciara Moye, Zaria Bell, Kaden Edgeston and Brianna Brooks take in the Mickalene Thomas painting ‘Three Graces: Les Trois Femmes Noires’ during a recent visit to the N.C. Museum of Art by a group of students from the school’s International Baccalaureate and Honors Art programs. Submitted photo

Art treasures acquired a new, organic dimension for a group of students from the International Baccalaureate and Honors Art programs at Kinston High School when they took in the “Art in Bloom” exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Art recently.

The annual exhibit, featured at the museum for only one weekend a year, brings together paintings and sculptures from the museum’s permanent exhibit with floral creations designed by horticulture and florist organizations to interpret a specific piece of art in mood, theme and color,

“The ‘Art in Bloom’ exhibit was beautiful,” senior Ciara Moye said. “With it being my first time ever going to the museum, I didn’t know what to expect. I was not disappointed. I especially enjoyed the different interpretations that each florist came up with for each piece. This exhibit made you really think and it dug deep.”

KHS faculty members Ruth Anderson, Prishonda Daniels and Leonard Palmer accompanied the students on the March 21 field trip.

“I could not have asked for a better group to take,” said Daniels, the high school’s art teacher. “The museum itself is of such high quality and the works within it can stand alone at any time, but making this happen during this exhibit was a treat for all. Watching the students’ eyes, hearing their laughter and observing their joy at learning and seeing something so vast and beyond their expectations was all I could have asked for. I was proud of them; they represented Kinston High well.”

Students engaged in art critiques and discussions about the pieces they viewed. Among the most popular were paintings, carvings and weavings that reflected African or African-American influence.

“I enjoyed the pieces focused around African American experience and Egyptian culture immensely,” senior Kaden Edgeston said. “Being able to engage with art on such an intimate level with my friends was an entire experience in itself. If I had to use one word to describe this trip, I would use memorable.”