Crepe Paper Magnolia at Brand 54

Petals to Stems in the gallery: my crepe paper magnolia has been selected for the 54th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper at Brand Library & Art Center.

I am beyond honored to share some exciting news: my piece, The Gracious Grandiflora Magnolia, was selected for Brand 54: 54th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper at the Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale, California.

This year, more than 1,350 artworks from across the country were submitted through the open call, and juror Tracy Bartley, Project Manager and Senior Researcher for the David Hockney Catalogue Raisonné Project, selected just 100 pieces for the exhibition. To see my paper magnolia hanging among them, in one of the region’s most prestigious juried shows, is a moment I will never forget. The Works on Paper exhibition has been organized by the Brand Associates since 1971, and being part of its 54th year feels like joining a long and beautiful conversation about what paper can become.

About the Piece

The Gracious Grandiflora Magnolia (Italian and German crepe paper on wood, 41 x 24 x 10 in.) is my love letter to the Southern Magnolia—those grand, glossy-leaved trees whose creamy blossoms seem to glow from high up in the branches.

The piece is created entirely from Italian and German crepe papers. I set out to recreate not just a flower, but the whole life of a branch: the pods in their different stages, from green pod to open pod to the final dry pod, and the flowers at several stages of bloom — from tight bud, to semi-open, to almost open, to fully grown. Every petal, stamen, and leaf was hand cut, sculpted, painted, and stemmed as if onto a real branch. I deconstructed the magnolia again and again, studying it piece by piece, so I could build it back — petal by petal — in paper. Even the branch itself is recreated from wire wrapped in crepe paper, and the finished piece hangs across a real piece of wood, so it appears just as it would in nature.

If you’ve followed Petals to Stems for a while, you know this is what I live for: pushing crepe paper until it stops looking like paper and starts breathing like a living plant.

Visit the Exhibition

Brand 54: 54th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper On view: June 6 – August 27, 2026 Where: Brand Library & Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain Street, Glendale, CA 91201 Admission: Free and open to the public during library hours (Tue–Thu 11 AM–8 PM, Fri–Sat 10 AM–5 PM)
Parking: Free on-site parking; ride-share encouraged

The Brand Library & Art Center is a Southern California treasure — a public library devoted to visual arts and music, housed on the grounds of Leslie C. Brand’s historic 1904 estate. If you haven’t been, this exhibition is the perfect excuse to go. Many of the artworks in Brand 54 are available for purchase, with a portion of proceeds supporting the free cultural programming the Brand Associates bring to the community all year long. A beautifully printed exhibition catalog is also available at the gallery and through the Brand Associates’ website, with a digital version on BrandLibrary.org.

Thank You

My deepest thanks to juror Tracy Bartley for seeing something special in this magnolia, and to the Brand Associates and the Brand Library & Art Center for championing works on paper for more than five decades. And thank you — to everyone who has cheered on Petals to Stems from the very first petal. This one is for you.

If you make it out to Glendale before August 27, look for the magnolia — and tag them @petalstostems! I’d love to see your photos.

With gratitude, Ingrid Dakoske Petals to Stems