Hope Blooms at Rotary Trail

June 10, 2020

“At the beginning of the week, I was an emotional wreck,” says Wild Things owner Carolyn Chen of her reaction to the pain felt across the world in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. “I knew I wanted to do something, but I sat there feeling helpless thinking ‘What can I do? I’m just a florist!’ I began to think about the long list of different reasons people send flowers: grief, sadness, celebration, happiness, and I knew most of the country was probably grappling with similar emotions to mine. The week started with violence and heartbreak, and I wanted it to end with something beautiful that could reunite our community.” Her mind turned to the heart of the Magic City. She envisioned the iconic arch at Rotary Trail and the florist’s imagination bedecked the iron scaffolds with an immense and breathtaking adornment of colorful blooms.

Carolyn messaged her colleague Mary Cox Brown of Marigold Designs to ask if she thought making this vision a reality was even possible. The two sent a few more messages, assembled a team, and within three days, they had more than 30 florists enthusiastically on board with all three of the city’s wholesalers generously donating materials and supplies. Rotary Club of Birmingham quickly approved the installation, and AG Events volunteered to bring a scissor lift.

*Images: The team arrived on site at 7:30 a.m. to build the structural part of the installation. They unloaded their supplies from each of their shop vans and began to build.*

On the morning of Friday, June 5th, Birmingham’s floral community gathered around the scaffolds of the Magic City arch. Flowers in hand, they wielded their weapons of love, building an offering for every Birminghamian. There were some sketches, but the idea was for each florist to intermingle their craft in an unfolding work of art, not unlike jazz musicians improvising and riffing off one another. “Each florist was able to express themselves in their own way during the installation, and that was really beautiful,” says Carolyn. Mary Cox agrees, adding, “It was completely overwhelming. It was amazing to see what we could do when we all worked together.”

Images: The beginning part of the installation consisted of laying chicken wire over the concrete and iron and adding foam cages. The cages hold water that make the flowers last longer. From there, they began to add greenery.

“Everyone was there to create something magnificent the way that we all know how—to ‘create’ using our gifts, our hands, and God’s beauty,” says Marie Lusain-Daniels, owner of Petal Pushers Florals and Rentals, LLC. “Being a parent, wife, and a black female business owner, I was first heartbroken to see yet another horrible travesty take place in Minneapolis. But I was even more devastated to actually see the physical destruction spill over onto the actual street that my shop was once located on downtown. To have Carolyn of Wild Things spearhead a design installation of this magnitude was just the thing that my soul needed to be reminded of the love, humanity, and humility that still exists.”

*Image: Marie Lusain-Daniels works on adding greenery to foam cages before hanging them.*

As they stood back to evaluate the installation, the florists had a conversation about whether they should close the gap to create a seamless arch. “We decided leaving the gap would open up a conversation—and it has,” says Carolyn. “It presents another point of reflection and calls for questions like ‘What’s missing here?’ ‘How far are we from affecting change?’ ‘Can we close the equality gaps that are so blatant?’ ‘What’s missing in our education system?’ ‘What other pieces are we missing to move forward?” If the gap made people uncomfortable, I’m glad, because we all need to get more comfortable with uncomfortable conversations.” Mary Cox agrees, adding, “To me the gap stands for the work we still need to do to close the gap and have equality for all.”

Once the florists decided the installation was complete, the community and even the florists themselves began to react and interact with the stunning work of art. “It was so incredibly overwhelming, that I left and rode around downtown to take my eyes off it and ended up at the mural of Mr. George Floyd,” says Marie of Petal Pushers. “A few minutes later, I rode back to the Rotary Trail with fresh eyes, and I cried! God is good!!”

*Images: Florists and wholesalers from all over the city and beyond arrived around 9:00 a.m. with flowers to add to the structure.*

Families from all walks of life journeyed to the heart of our city to get a one-of-a-kind family portrait. “Being with my husband and our four kids standing under the Magic City steel structure now adorned with the most beautiful blooms truly stopped us in our tracks,” says Krista Conlin Robinson. “We felt the magic of our city, the magic of our community coming together symbolizing hope and healing. This special gift felt bigger than the blooms. It gave us an opportunity to talk to our kids about what is going on in our country, invited welcoming conversations with strangers, and demonstrated love wins.”

*Image: Krista and her family stand under the archway.*

Photographers and artists, of course, flocked to the scene to use their art form to amplify the moving message. Marika N. Johnson of MNJ Studios was one such photographer. “I was moved first by its beauty and uniqueness and secondly by the powerful story behind it,” she says. “Anytime a group of people can join together and create a work of art and do so in the name of social injustice—I was truly amazed and struck by how powerful we can be when we come together.”

As Marika began snapping images, a handsome couple was attempting to capture images of themselves before the blooms. She graciously offered to photograph them, learning that they were engaged. “We were attending a friend’s wedding at UAB Hilton, and I love flowers, so we decided to visit the installation,” says Cynthia Mitchell of her and her fiancé, Melvin Walls’, trip to see the flowers. The professional engagement photo session was a sweet and serendipitous surprise. Cynthia’s gratitude for Marika’s gesture was outweighed only by her joy and awe in the installation’s emotional impact. “I saw how the flowers really boosted the morale of the people in the city who came by and admired them,” she says. “There was a feeling of unity in that moment. People of different races, creeds, and color admired God’s creation together.”

*Images: Photos from Cynthia and Melvin’s spontaneous engagement photo shoot with Marika Johnson.*

*Images: Brandon and Challis’s stunning wedding day photos taken by* ***Love Behind The Lens Photography***

And in bright watercolor, Laura Stafman, MD, PhD., turned the landmark into a work of art. “As a surgeon, part of my job is to help people heal. It has been very hard over the past few weeks watching the city that I love go through turmoil. When I saw the floral memorial at the Rotary Trail sign, it really spoke to me. I saw it as a way to help the city heal and bring people from all different walks of life together to view beauty,” says Laura. “A friend had asked me earlier in the year to paint a Birmingham landmark and when I saw the flowers on the sign, I knew that this would be the subject of the painting. Although the flowers won’t last forever, I hope that this piece captures some of the beauty that was brought to downtown Birmingham that day and continues to help the city heal.”

Image: Laura’s finished watercolor piece.

Even the project landscape architect for the Rotary Trail, and a Rotarian herself, lauded the installation. “Rotary Trail was given to the city by people who understand providing quality open space builds community and helps bring us all together,” says Jane Reed Ross PLA, ASLA. “Covering the 20th Street gateway with flowers confirms that message and extends a compelling level of comfort to us all during a time when difficult but meaningful conversations are happening. I would like to see the flowers on our gateway become an annual event.”

The weekend was filled with people posting images of the gorgeous installation, articles were written, and much-needed conversations began. The flowers came down Monday, but the message lives on in the hearts of Birminghamians.

Says Carolyn, “We all have an opportunity to do what we can, in our own ways, with the gifts we have. This was my way of sharing my gift with the city, to remember those who have been victims of racism and to try to bring the community together to reflect, be inspired, and learn from each other about how to move forward in a way that makes our city and state more just and more equal. Before this week, I was completely unaware, poorly educated, and out-of-touch with police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, white privilege, and systemic racism. I have learned so much and know that I have more work to do. I will continue to read, research, listen, and share in hopes that we can help our friends and pave a path to a better, more equal future.”

Resources for Learning About White Privilege:

@Rachel.Cargle | rachelcargle.com

@thelovelandfoundation | thelovelandfoundation.org

@thegreatunlearn | thegreatunlearn.com

@elizabethsofakron | bookshop.org/shop/elizabeths

Why You Need to Stop Saying “All Lives Matter”, Harper’s BAZAAR

When Feminism Is White Supremacy in Heels, Harper’s BAZAAR