Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A leading floral designer for several well-known Jackson Hole, Wyo., resorts will lead a special Nov. 11 public presentation at Mississippi State.
The free program featuring W. Ian Whipple, owner and creative director of Floral Art LLC, takes place 6-7:30 p.m. in the Colvard Student Union's first-floor Dawg House lounge.
Whipple, former editor of the Florist & Grower trade publication, is visiting MSU as a guest of the University Florist and department of plant and soil sciences. The Brigham Young University-educated designer is a member of the artist-in-residence program of the American Institute of Floral Designers, which has an affiliated student chapter on campus.
"We are honored to have so prominent a floral designer come and share his work and professional experiences with our students, faculty, as well as the general public," said Jim DelPrince, coordinator of the campus event.
"Ian's design specializations include the use of structures and armatures, the combination and use of natural regional elements, and the application of architectural forms and shapes as components or elements of design," the professor of plant and soil sciences added.
In addition to owning other floral-related businesses in Idaho and Utah, Whipple serves as contract and special events florist for the Four Seasons Hotel Jackson Hole Resort, Hotel Terra, Teton Mountain Lodge, and other luxury accommodations in one of the nation's top getaways for the rich and famous.
For more on Whipple's MSU visit, contact DelPrince at 662-325-1965 or JDelPrince@pss.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.