Regarding the discussion of plants/flowers in museums- thought an
"alternative voice" might be of interest:

Here at the Metropolitan Museum there are huge bouqets of fresh flowers
(changed weekly) in the Great Hall, and fresh flowers are used almost daily
at events and dinners as centerpieces and decoration. Additionally, many
daylit areas of the museum have natural plantings, including various types
of Ivy, palm trees, ferns, shrubs, and even orange trees. Also, recently
three small live orchids were used as decoration in the galleries for a
photography show.

I spoke with the staffer in charge of all these uses of plants/flowers, who
said that beyond a close inspection by hand as they are being done
(apparently we do all our own arrangements and have a staff of several
people who do them), there are no further precautions taken against pests.
He also pointed out that they are used in areas of the museum that are
either low-risk (stone sculpture courtyards, etc.) or are already more
likely to be infested from pests carried in on the 5+ million visitors a
year (the great Hall, etc.).  They would not be used in galleries
containing organic materials (canvas, tapestries, wood, etc.).

He noted that we have never had an infestation of any sort attributable to
these flowers/plants, although they have been used for decades. The person
in charge (Chris Giftos) has even recently published a VERY popular book on
the subject of our famous bouqets, called "A Bouqet From the Met."

Thought the list might find this of interest- I am in no way an expert on
the subject, so please- no attacks on me for the rightness/wrongness of
this policy!

Dennis Kois
Design Department
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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