The Kishwaukee College Floral Design department hosted a guest designer as part of
the Artist In Residence (AIR) program offere
d through the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) on Wednesday, February
20 at the College. Students in Janet Gallagher’s Floral Design class welcomed Polly
Klein AIFD Certified Floral Designer, for a morning lecture followed by an afternoon
of collaborative design.
Polly Klein is owner of Polly’s Petals & Particulars, a full-service floral company in Libertyville, Illinois that has specialized in floral and event styling for the past 19 years. They received Wedding Wire’s Couples Choice Award for 8 years in a row. For the past 4 years, Klein has been a floral designer for the Rose Parade. This year, her team constructed 4 floats and 3 received awards for outstanding floral design. Klein is an elected representative on the North Central Chapter AIFD.
While at the College, Klein lectured on design aspects of the Rose Parade. Students gained insight into the special considerations of constructing large-scale floats including color blocking, ensuring a mechanically sound and secure float, and dynamics of designing with a team. Following the lecture, students worked as a class to create a floral piece in the spirit of Rose Parade float designs. Their design was on display in the Conference Center on campus, allowing students, staff, and faculty to enjoy the beautiful and impressive design.
The AIR program is offered through the AIFD to bring together industry professionals and floral design students at colleges and universities that have Student AIFD chapters. Kishwaukee College is one of only 16 colleges in the nation with an SAIFD chapter.
For more information on the Floral Design Program at Kishwaukee College, visit www.kish.edu/academics/programs/horticulture. For more information on the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD), visit http://aifd.org/.
Photo Caption: Polly Klein, AIFD CFD, was the guest Artist In Residence at Kishwaukee College on February 20. Klein presented on the Rose Parade for the Floral Design class at the College. Students then worked with Klein to create a large piece stylized after Rose Parade floats. Pictured: Polly Klein.