November 2019 Expressions

EMC community news

Celebrating the diversity of success in our graduates

On September 16, 2019, the EMC Family welcomed the newest Alumni from EMC China, EMC Italy, EMC North America and EMC Belgium who participated in the EMC Advanced Brugge from September 9-16, 2019.  This group made history by being the first to receive the newly Accredited EMC Certificate.  This certificate is officially recognized and certified by the Belgium Chamber of Commerce as well as The Royal Belgium Floral Association. Their EMC journey included numerous days of advanced theory, a trip to Paris, a day out in Brugge and many social evenings together.  Also, as many of us who are EMC Alumni remember fondly, the EMC Advanced Students earned their certification by passing the nomenclature exam as well as the practical, oral and theoretical evaluations along with the art interpretation project! This talented and passionate group was under the tutelage of EMC Teaching Assistants Keith Stanley CFD EMC (Class of 2016) and Sherene S. Tan AIFD CFD EMC (Class of 2018). Congratulations to everyone and welcome to the EMC Family!

EMC Curriculum becomes Officially Recognized

Many EMC Graduates and Students have become very interested in the EMC curriculum being officially recognized by the Belgium Chamber of Commerce as well as The Royal Belgium Floral Association.  For those who graduated in September 2019 to all future graduates, the certificate that is now being received is stamped the Official Accreditation Seal.  All past graduates will also have the opportunity to receive the new certificate. Stay tuned for the upcoming article in the December 2019 EXPRESSIONS Newsletter for more details on obtaining a new certificate and learn more about the new accreditation in a one-on-one interview with Tomas De Bruyne.

Member's Corner

EMC Graduate Regine Motmans EMC celebrates 5 years as Fleuramour Art Director

For the past 5 years, EMC has been an active part of International Floral Event Fleuramour at Alden Biesen, Blizen, Belgium. This incredible event is "The Perfect Daydream Amidst 140,000 Flowers" where a floral artist, enthusiast, hobbyist, and the flower-loving public can immerse themselves in the enchanting world of flowers decorated by the world’s finest floral artists. The Artistic Director for Fleuramour for the past 5 years has been  Regine Motmans EMC (Class of 2016).  For Regine, preparations for Fleuramour begins a year in advance with the selection of the theme, designers, and projects.  The annual themes are chosen by Regine, owner of Floregineel Bloemwerken in Kuringen, Belgium.  A professional florist by trade, she shares, “I try to think about what concept can give a wide range of choices for the designers and still fit into one theme.  2016’s theme was the ‘Four Elements of Nature’,  2017's was ‘Culture’, 2018 was 'Urban Roots' with 2019 being 'Back to the Future.'  I feel that there is so much terror in the world.  We have to show that in our flower world all cultures collide and that we can work harmoniously together. " With 2020 being the 25th Anniversary of Fleuramour and the 25th Anniversary of the launch of Fleur Creatif magazine, Regine is busily preparing for a floral celebration to fit the excitement of the occasion.  For more information about Fleuramour, visit https://en.fleuramour.be/ or follow them on Facebook.

EMC Featured Graduate

As a new feature of the monthly EXPRESSIONS Newsletter, you will get to know an EMC graduate.  The first to be featured is 2018 Graduate from North America EMC Patti Bowman EMC. 

Patti splits her time with a foot into two different and diverse businesses.  Within in floral industry, she is the owner of Violet & Vine Design LLC in Allamuchy, New Jersey, a European Master Certified Floral Designer (Class of 2018), a Junior Master in Ikebana, an Accredited Ikebana Instructor, a New York Botanical Garden Certificate in Floral Design and a National Garden Club Accredited Judge.  In her free time, she is also a member of the EMC Mentoring team assisting students during the self-practicum. She describes herself as a "Forward-thinking designer inspired by nature and art who experiments using different materials and media to create trend-setting floral expressions." With a foot in technology, she is the General Manager in North America of Digital Business at UNICOM Global.