SAN DIEGO, CA.- More than 100 floral designers will once again join forces to turn the San Diego Museum of Art’s galleries into a visual feast for the 24th celebration of SDMA’s grandest fundraiser, Art Alive. A highlight of this year’s extravaganza will be the dazzling floral design work by the internationally recognized ambassador of the floral industry, René van Rems, in the Museum’s historic rotunda. The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 15, with special evening hours on Friday.

For three full days, museum visitors will experience the vibrant energy of over 100 fresh floral interpretations of works in the Museum’s collections displayed throughout the galleries. For 24 years straight, Art Alive has served as the Museum’s primary fundraising event and is one of the longest running and most widely attended events of its kind in the United States. Revenue from Art Alive provides necessary funds for the Museum’s ongoing educational outreach efforts and exhibition programming.

A special treat of Art Alive 2005 will be the featured work of the world-renowned, Carlsbad-based floral designer, René van Rems, who, with the help of his team from the Institute of Floral Arts & Sciences, will decorate the Museum’s rotunda. The Belgian-born René will bring his uniquely European sensibilities and artistry to the creation of an ultra-contemporary, Euro-style embellishment to the Spanish Renaissance style architecture. “The experience will begin as one approaches the Museum,” explains René. “We will set the stage from the outside in, dressing the entry in a wash of color and floral forms evoking artistic genres from the Museum’s collection.”

René’s inspired decorations will form part of the backdrop for the annual Art Alive Gala on Saturday, May 14, from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. This evening of ethereal elegance will be set in a “white hot” Miami Beach–inspired tropical setting. After a fresh gallery encounter with flora and fauna, guests can indulge in gourmet fare from San Diego’s finest eateries before lounging in a private garden cabana to sip mojitos and listen to the sultry sounds of a live torch singer, and later, chill out to grooves spun by DJ Gage. Tickets are limited for this event and are $200 per person. For information on gala tickets, call the Museum at (619) 696-1930.

Art Alive 2005 will also mark the return of the ever-popular floral demonstration, which will be presented by the Seattle-based Kim Morrill, AIFD. With more than 30 years in the floral industry, Morrill’s articles and design work have been featured in several floral trade publications as well as in Elle Décor and Metropolitan Home magazines. She is a veteran speaker who has presented across the United States and internationally. Morrill’s presentation will take place on Friday, May 13, at 11:00 a.m. in the SDMA auditorium, and tickets are $40 per person.

The Museum is also pleased to announce the Honorary Chairs for Art Alive 2005 are longtime museum supporters, Mary Ann and Arnold Ginnow. The Ginnows moved to San Diego from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and have been SDMA members since 1989, making many generous financial contributions to SDMA along the way. Mary Ann has also been a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees since 1992 and was on last year’s Art Alive honorary committee.