Meijer Gardens Announces Winner Of Loeschner 2-D Art Competition

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is pleased to announce New England landscape artist, Dianne Shullenberger, as the winner of the 2013 Ray and Nancy Loeschner Annual Art Competition.

Born in Maine and working in Vermont, most of Shullenberger's drawings are inspired by nature and the outdoors, and are often produced on location. Her winning entry, Fall Brambles, is a landscape of colored pencil on black paper, resulting in luminous, pastel-like textures, but with finer detail.

In addition to the $3,000 prize, Shullenberger's painting will become a part of Meijer Gardens' permanent collection. She joins other recent winners including: Stephen Duren, Chris Overvoorde, Stephen Schousen, Margaret Vega, James Karsina and Sharon Sandberg.

The official call for 2014 entries will come in the fall, but artists are encouraged to work on their entry anytime during the year. Submissions are due November 1, 2014, and artists across the state and the globe are welcomed.

Celebrating its 12th year, Ray and Nancy Loeschner established the two-dimensional competition to encourage artists to create work inspired by the grounds and collections of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

Image available upon request. Click here for the image: http://bit.ly/1ajNS3i.

About Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

One of the world's most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park serves nearly 600,000 visitors annually. Meijer Gardens was recently ranked in the top 100 most-visited art museums worldwide by Art Newspaper, the leading publication in global art news. The 132-acre grounds feature Michigan's largest tropical conservatory; one of the largest children's gardens in the country; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Degas and Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens; and a 1900-seat outdoor amphitheater, featuring an eclectic mix of world-renowned musicians every summer. The internationally acclaimed Sculpture Park features a permanent collection including works by Rodin, Oldenburg, Moore, Serra, Bourgeois and Plensa, among others. Indoor galleries host changing sculpture exhibitions with recent exhibitions by Picasso, Degas, di Suvero, Borofsky, Calder and Dine. In June 2015, the 8 - acre Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will open. Created by renowned designer Hoichi Kurisu, the garden will also feature sculpture by Anish Kapoor, Zhang Huan, and Guiseppe Penone, among others.