Ep 197: Our Current Projects: Museum Walls, Solo Shows, and Day of the Dead Paper Flowers

Quynh, Jessie, and Sara share what's next in their paper flower careers: a museum wall installation at the San Diego Natural History Museum, Jessie's first solo gallery show, and a Day of the Dead paper flower headpiece workshop in Mexico City with Hitomi Gilliam.

Season 8 is winding down and episode 197 finds Quynh Nguyen, Jessie Chui, and Sara Kim catching each other up on the biggest paper flower projects shaping their year, projects that show just how far paper flower artistry can travel: from a museum lobby in San Diego, to a gallery wall in Richmond Hill, to a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

Sara opens with the story behind her wall installation at the San Diego Natural History Museum, a donor recognition piece built entirely from paper flowers representing California native plant species. She walks through the unexpected origin (a workshop attendee who later became the project's champion), the scientific accuracy required by the museum's in-house botanists, and the award she won at the California Native Plant Society show along the way.

 

"Workshops are so important. It's not just about teaching, although yes, that's fun too. It's actually a way to network while you're getting paid.”— Sara

 

Jessie shares the news of her first solo exhibition, opening this fall at the Richmond Hill Cultural Center gallery. She and Quynh dig into the realities most paper flower artists never talk about out loud: gallery wall mounting systems, the true cost of framing large-format paper art, UV-protective glazing, and the emotional weight of deciding whether to sell one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces.

Quynh closes with a look at her packed travel and teaching calendar, including a return to Snow Farm to teach the life cycle of dahlias in paper form, and a new international collaboration with renowned floral educator Hitomi Gilliam. The two are bringing their paper flower floral crown workshop to Mexico City for a Day of the Dead headpiece project, with plans to take the same workshop to Japan in 2027.

 

“The more you share, the more people will learn about it and the more people will want to do it. And if you gatekeep things, it just doesn't grow as much.”— Quynh 

 

The Best Thing We Bought that Bring Us Joy

• Quynh: Whipped Feta Dip recipe 
• Jessie: Herb and Garlic Philadelphia Cream Cheese with Poppyseed Bagel
• Sara: Red kiwifruit and Kesar mangoes from Trader Joe’s

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Keywords: paper flower museum installation, paper flower solo show, Day of the Dead paper flowers, Hitomi Gilliam paper flower workshop, paper flower headpiece, San Diego Natural History Museum paper flowers, paper flower gallery show, mounting paper flower sculpture