On view September 10 through 12, Petals and Perspectives is a floral design showcase throughout the festival weekend. Participating floral designers create arrangements in direct response to works of art on view in The Bascom's galleries, so a viewer moves between the work of art and its floral answer.

The Dazzling Dahlia Festival returns in 2026 as a vibrant celebration of horticulture, art, and community on The Bascom campus. Rooted in the Plateau’s long-standing appreciation for gardens and creative expression, the festival brings together growers, artists, and visitors for a shared exploration of form, color, and seasonal abundance.

Bascom Studio Members will present a collection of wall pockets and vases, adorned with fresh dahlias, which will be available for purchase during the Dazzling Dahlia Festival. Don't miss the chance to visit the Studio Barn and be truly dazzled!

The Bascom Shop welcomes jewelry artist Kate Furman for a trunk show Friday and Saturday, September 11–12, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., held in conjunction with the Dazzling Dahlia Festival.

Furman earned her MFA in Jewelry + Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design in 2012 and her BFA in Jewelry and Metalworking from the University of Georgia in 2008. Working from her studio in Greenville, South Carolina, she gathers materials on long stretches spent in the wilderness: seed pods, bark, bone, and stone shed by the landscape itself. Each piece carries the marks of where it was found, scored by storms and whitewater, and set into fine jewelry that reads like a field journal of place.

Furman's collection will be available for purchase both days of the festival.

The festival's signature juried competition invites growers and floral designers of all ages to enter single blooms or arrangements across open, novice, youth, and arranged divisions. Free to enter. The juried show will be on view Friday, September 11 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, September 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Growers, click here for more information on how to enter. 

Young artists will explore color, texture, and layering as they create vibrant collages inspired by the bold shapes and beauty of dahlias.

All Matierials included. Ages 7-12

Highlands ecologist and garden designer Sonya Carpenter examines how the dahlia's color and form draw pollinators, birds, and butterflies to the garden, and what it takes to keep them nourished on the Plateau. Saturday, September 12, 11 a.m. Free.

Artists will explore color, texture, and layering as they create vibrant collages inspired by the bold shapes and beauty of dahlias.

All Matierials included.

In this 4 day hand building class, we will make objects commonly found on your dinner table using the slab roller and slabs of clay, texture pads, etc.  Objects to be made could be Plates, Bowls, Salt/Pepper Shakers, Candle Sticks, Pitcher, etc.   Templates will be provided for students to use, although students are welcome to create their own.  In an effort to get through as many projects as we can, this class is designed to make examples, not entire plate settings or dinnerware sets.  The class includes Open Studio only on the day of class.  There is no glazing component to this class.  Please see Glazing Class in the Resident Artist Schedule.

In this 4 day hand building class, we will make objects commonly found on your dinner table using the slab roller and slabs of clay, texture pads, etc.  Objects to be made could be Plates, Bowls, Salt/Pepper Shakers, Candle Sticks, Pitcher, etc.   Templates will be provided for students to use, although students are welcome to create their own.  In an effort to get through as many projects as we can, this class is designed to make examples, not entire plate settings or dinnerware sets.  The class includes Open Studio only on the day of class.  There is no glazing component to this class.  Please see Glazing Class in the Resident Artist Schedule.