Stephanie Denomme selected 2024 Feature Artist
Conservation Dinner Committee selects Stephanie Denomme, owner of Blush and Blossom Floral, as 2024 Feature Artist
Floral artist is 25th person selected as feature artist in 34-year history of Conservation Dinner; featured artists have worked in wide range of media from visual arts to other media including woodwork, sculpture (wood, metal and ice), quilting, culinary arts and wine-making
The Conservation Dinner Committee has announced that the 2024 Feature Artist, for the 34th Conservation Dinner, is Stephanie Denomme, owner of Blush and Blossom Floral.
Chris Keller, of Exeter Lions Club, is Chair of the Conservation Dinner Committee. “On behalf of the whole Conservation Dinner Committee, we are excited to announce that the Conservation Dinner featured artist in 2024 is Stephanie Denomme,” he said. “Stephanie’s floral designs are works of art and having her creative talents showcased at the 34th Conservation Dinner is sure to make this year’s Dinner and Auction a special one indeed.”
The Conservation Dinner community fundraiser and auction takes place on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at South Huron Recreation Centre at 94 Victoria Street East in Exeter.
Each year, the Conservation Dinner Committee selects a featured artist. Past Dinner artists have worked in a range of media including visual arts, culinary arts, wine-making, ice sculpture, metal sculpture, quilting, and wood-working. In the 34-year history of the Dinner, Stephanie is the 25th person to be named a feature artist.
“I am very honoured to be selected the 25th featured artist,” she said. “This community has been extremely supportive of both my business as well as family. I am so excited to showcase my talents to everyone attending the Dinner.”
The Seaforth-area native and Exeter resident has been designing floral arrangements since 2018. In 2023, she opened her own shop, specializing in weddings and events. “I have put a lot of hard work driving my business to where it is today, whether it be furthering my skills at the Canadian Institute of Floral Design in Toronto, as well as overcoming the hurdles of opening a small business.”
Floral design is a creative endeavour. Every creation is unique with different flowers and textures. “No two pieces are the same,” Stephanie said. “I like the challenge,” she said of putting her own creative twist on design concepts.
This year’s feature art is a spring seasonal insert with planter included as well as three other inserts to be filled in future (summer, autumn, and winter) plus one vase arrangement and a $100 gift card used for future purchases.
This year’s feature artist has had a winding career road to become a florist. She once studied to be a police officer before embarking on her current career. She and her husband Marc have four young children so her floral design studio, constructed in 2023, is part of her home. “If I need to be inside I’m a few feet away,” she said.
The Conservation Dinner is the unofficial start of spring and the colourful “coming out of winter and into spring” motif is something that may find its way into this year’s feature art.
To find out about Blush and Blossom Flora visit the firm’s website.
Previous feature artists include:
- Dark Horse Estate Winery Inc. (2023)
- Diane Carson, The Electric Quilter, Exeter (2022)
- Wood craftsman David Loerchner, D. L. Creations, Bayfield (2018)
- Iceculture Inc. of Hensall (2017)
- Jim Dawe, Murals in Metal (2016)
- Culinary feature artist Chef James Eddington (2015)
- Tammy Laye (2014; 1990-1995)
- Madeleine Roske (2013)
- Martin Zimmer (2012)
- Catherine Weber (2011)
- Fran Roelands (2010)
- Bill Nieuwland (2009)
- avid Bannister (2008)
- Tim Clark (2007; 1997)
- Teresa Marie (2006)
- Rae Ann Ladouceur (2005)
- Elisabeth Tonner-Keats (2004)
- Randy Jones (2003)
- Carver Fred Negrijn (2002)
- Ken Jackson (2001)
- Kent Wilkens (2000)
- Barry Richman (1999)
- Flora Doerr (1998)
- Peter Etril Snyder (1996).
To learn more visit the Feature Artists web page.
About the Conservation Dinner
The Conservation Dinner is a dinner, auction and fundraiser that has raised more than $1.335 million for needed community projects over 33 years.
The 2024 Conservation Dinner is the 34th event since 1990. The Exeter Lions Club has been co-partner, with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and the watershed community, on the Dinner, since 1991. Net profits are split 50-50 between community conservation projects of the Conservation Foundation and community conservation projects of the Exeter Lions Club.
Tickets are available now for the Conservation Dinner. To buy tickets to the Conservation Dinner, or to donate, phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or email info@abca.ca or visit the Ausable Bayfield Conservation office east of Exeter at 71108 Morrison Line (just south of Highway 83). Tickets are $100 each and patrons receive a charitable gift receipt, for income tax purposes, for a portion of that amount.
People can buy their tickets from a Conservation Dinner Committee member or from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation office. People can pay for their tickets by cheque, cash or credit card. They can even pay by e-Transfer. (If you are buying your ticket by e-Transfer, be sure to use the dinner@abca.ca email address and include your mailing address and/or email address in the e-Transfer message box and specify if the payment is for a Conservation Dinner ticket or if the payment is a donation to the Dinner).
The auction and dinner supports projects such as a family-friendly fishing derby, accessible nature trails in Bayfield, Clinton, Parkhill, Lucan, Arkona, Exeter, and Varna; opportunities for students to experience outdoor nature education; a $1,000 student environmental grant for students in local communities; a summer job at Ausable Bayfield Conservation for a senior secondary school student; turtle monitoring and events in Port Franks and Ailsa Craig; aquatic habitat studies in Old Ausable Channel, Grand Bend; nature day camps; Owl Prowl; and parks and conservation areas.
The annual event features live and silent auctions of art and distinctive items such as travel packages and sports and entertainment memorabilia. The Dinner has special raffles, general raffles, appetizers, wine tasting, fun and fellowship, and a wonderful meal.