Green Academy Belgium
From then until Now.
has undergone several changes in its history since its inception in 2008.
We began as an Academy within Belgium for aspiring young Professional Belgian florists only,(although a French florist found her way to the class too) and launched an International program with another nature simultaneously.
We gave them all a marvellous opportunity for a year to work and learn from a varied and highly creative College of Teachers rather including, Florists ,Geert Pattyn Moniek Vanden Berghe , Tomas De Bruyne, Rita Van Gansbeeke,Muriel Le Coulis, Rob Plattel. Guido Muskens,Marc De Rudder, Mit Ingelaar and photographer Isabelle Persyn and invited tutors in Hoticulture and Fine Arts and Drawing.They had opportunities to work and travel on Special projects and take class trips .
After a years commiitement by the First class and a sucessful Graduation Exhibition it became apparent that it was not possibe to run such a Homeland focused programm annually with such a small Belgian community to draw on so we put this aspect of Green Academy in recess.
The Bright young ones who undertook this course are now doing what we had hoped for at the begining of our initiative,they are coming forward as the new designers in Belgium and their talents and work is now been seen in magazines at competion and as visiting demonstrators with in Europe.
Meanwhile the International program which ran alongside our internal focus continued and gathered momentum with organised seminars Annually from 2009 for global travellers from Australia,Switzerland .The USA ,UK, Poland, Ireland. Croatia enjoying worthwhile and memorable seminar programs .
Now in 2011
we have finely tuned our energies and found the right formula for the times ,strengthened our committment and widened our circle of flower friends and colleagues.
Green Academy Belgium in meeting new challenges and fresh visions now provides an umbrella for
flora & company
an initiative created by Isabel Gilbert Palmer with the continued help of Gudrun Cottenier .
With flora and company
We specifically organise programmes and invite florists ,floral artsists and flower lovers a like, whether highly skilled, beginners or just adventuous to visit us in Belgium ,France and The Neherlands in the cities of Gent, Paris and Amsterdam.
Most importantly we like to work with a group coordinator to create the kind of Seminar program they dream of with themes they want to explore and Tutors they most would like to work with and we make suggestions along the way and provide authentic cultural backdrop to all we undertake .
We welcome all enquiries from groups in size from 12 to 20.
We accompany our groups every moment of the day.
We draw from a select coterie of well known Belgian ,French and Dutch Florists and floral tutors
(just as we did for the Original Academy ) and brought in some new up and coming ones to help provide a unique and varied series of hands -on workshops for all levels of Floristry available today in Europe who share their passion in traditional, classical and contemporaty approach to their work.
The workshop content evolves differently for each group/
The outcome of our arrangement has seen the creation of very unique and original programs tailor made to suit the wishes and wants of the groups involved.
We can create programs
*in Belgium alone,
*combinations of cities Paris,Gent and Amsterdam
*or to countries and cities or all three countries and three city programes ...
.the variations are endless. .. your time and ours is the limit .
We work from April to June inclusively
September to November inclusively
in any given year and cover the Seasons of Spring ,Fall and perhaps a touch of Winter in late November.
Summer months July and August are for holidays
Winter months December to March are for Hibernating !
Our programms and arrangements are created for those who want...
*to work with some of the worlds leading floral designers who are helpful and patient tutors to all levels
*refresh their skills,learn anew ,satisfy their curiosity,
*find inspiration
*who want to be part of a vibrant movement of high level floral design tutors
*want to network and travel with like minded talented creatives
* enjoy flower talk
Our Flower arranging and Design Workshops
are held private ateliers,gardens and our school room .
We take you to city ,town,village and country walks offer talks and small demonstrations.
Visit breath taking flower shops and give you access to private gardens, or famous ones with experienced guides
( Keuken Hof in Holland)
Take you shopping in Floral accessory wholesalers.
Show you flower markets large and small, a Museum exhibition or two.
Share the best of European lifetsyle and hospitality
with intimate dinners in private settings, lovely lunches and picnics,wine and dine in super restaurants,
help you find chocolate heaven and try some Trappist beer tasting
or waffles,crepes,and truly local foods and touches.
Add to this mix some superb shopping possibilities and a few sponataeous surpises and the rest is up to you and your group.
For more information please contact
isabel@greenacademybelgium.com
flora and company begins with Gudrun and Isabel
Gudrun Cottenier
has had her own successful Flower School for Flower Lovers, de Groene Verbeelding ( Green Imagination) since 1993.
She is plays a central part in the Belgian floral world with her involvements in the Floral Media as a permanent member of Sanoma Magazines Floral publications designers’ team,
is invited to demonstrate widely beyond her classroom programmes,
and collaborates for Belgian televisions, Green programmes.
Gudrun is author of two successful books on Floristry, is a marketer in the Floral sector appearing at Belgium’s leading Garden Fair at Park Beervelde twice a year (where she usually scoops a prize or two for her booth displays) and is an important key member of the prestigious Floralien organization of Belgium.
She has a wide following of Students both past and present,her Open Door Day Exhibitions each Spring are one of the hIghlights of the Flower World and her regular themed workshops she oganises besides her normal class schedules are always fully subscribed.
She has just embarked on an interesting themed workshops project with a collegue and a magazine series in a glossy Belgian home and interiors magazine, Tijdloos combining Lifestyle cameos with good food, flowers in the house and outdoors, with decorations and ideas through the year of seasons and festivities.
She also organises small events and garden trails to private gardens in Spring and Summer in Belgium.
Isabel Gilbert Palmer
is a transplanted New Zealander and has been active in promoting Belgian Floral design since 2000 when she bravely invited Belgian florists Geert Pattyn and Ivan Poelman Down under to demonstrate and workshop.
Her involvement remained there until 2004 subsequently inviting Erik Lockley and Aad Van Uffelen to visit and do likewise .
She moved to USA and now lives in Belgium.
She is a small events organizer like Gudrun and has a website in the USA specializing in floral world information www.editotofloris.com ( created from her personal choice rather than commercially driven)where she recommends books and publications she feels are important for designers.is an avid blog writter florabee @wordpress or ..see further on in the sites content ..in fact this is her creative bliss point at present .
She is a Freelance floral magazine writer having written for
Flower Magazine USA
Garden Design USA
Fantazy Magazine Russia
Gardeners magazine New Zealand
Fleur Creatif Belgium
Fleur Belgium
and collaborates closely with Flowers & in USA.
She has close connections with the American Institute of Floral Design as a Business partner,
Sponsor and with Green Academy Belgium as an Education Partner.
Shes been involved in AIFD Symposiums with her “found in… .. flanders” series since 2006 having brought Belgium floral designers Geert Pattyn, Moniek van den Berghe and Ivan Poelman to the stage and in 2009 and students from the January 2009 Winter international Seminar who were joined on stage by Tomas de Bruyne at Kansas City.
In 2010 she brought “found in…france " with Emie Oliverio from Nimes to Boston AIFD Symposium, and now after five years of "staging it" at AIFD Symposiums Isabel is taking a sabbatical .