Ray and Nancy Loeschner Art Competition
Become part of the permanent collection.
The annual Ray and Nancy Loeschner Art Competition is open to artists working in a two-dimensional format including photography inspired by the grounds and collections of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
The objective is to collect high quality work that would celebrate the beauty and inspiration the institution provides.
Two $5,000 purchase awards (one for two-dimensional and one for photography) will be paid for the winning entries in addition to becoming a part of Meijer Gardens' permanent collection.
Overview
- Artists who have been inspired by Meijer Gardens are encouraged to submit original works.
- Although not a requirement, artists are also welcome to work on site for inspiration. The winning entry will become part of Meijer Gardens’ permanent collection. It will be displayed and may eventually be reproduced (e.g. posters, note cards), with full credit to the artist, to promote the beauty and inspiration the organization provides.
Encouraging artists to enjoy and utilize Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park as a source of inspiration has long been important to the Loeschner family. Ray, and his wife Nancy, who passed away in 2012, have been lovingly involved with the institution when it was still but a dream more than twenty years ago. In 2002, they unveiled the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Art Competition for two-dimensional art. This annual juried event encourages entries by artists inspired by Meijer Gardens but rendered in two-dimensional form: painting, drawing, prints, pastels and photography.
“We all loved the idea of artists visiting the gardens,” Ray recently reflected, “we weren’t interested in artists submitting just any work – it had to be inspired by their experience here.”
Application
2023 application information will be announced soon!
Past Winners
Past Winners
Laurie Tennent. Parrot Tulips, 2022. Photograph on aluminum. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition for Photography, 2022
Ken Cadwallader. Farm Garden, 2022. Oil on Linen. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition, 2022
Lynn Strough. The Conversation, 2021. Photograph printed on acrylic. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition for Photography, 2021
Lee Ann Frame. Spring, 2021. Etching. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition, 2021
Stone Peng. A New Way to See the Beauty, 2020. Photograph. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition for Photography, 2020
Jean Allemeier Boot. Existence, Granite Elements, 2020. Etching and aquatint with chine collé on paper. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition, 2020
Carol Battin. Meijer Flower, 2019. Photograph on metal, 20 x 16 inches. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition for Photography, 2019
Kathy Mohl. Elements of Nature, 2019. Oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches. Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Two Dimensional Art Competition, 2019.
Two winners were named for the first time in 2018, one for two-dimensional and one for photography. The photography winner was Garden Beauty by Oaklee Thiele. The two-dimensional winner was Fall Migration on the Frey Boardwalk by Justin Kellner.
Oaklee Thiele. Garden Beauty, 2018. Photograph, 18 x 12"
Justin Kellner. Fall Migration on the Frey Boardwalk, 2018. Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 64"
Kim Frank Fujiwara. Lotus, 2016. Photography, 13 x 18".
Mary Brodbeck. Blanket, 2016. Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock print).
Rachel Van Wylen. Japanese Garden, 2015. Linocut on paper.
Colleen O’Rourke. Autumn Blaze, 2014. Seed bead embroidery.
Dianne Shullenberger. Fall Brambles, 2013. Colored pencil on black paper.
Stephen Duren. 5512, 2012. Oil on paper.
Chris Stoffel Overvoorde. Ripples, 2011. Oil on canvas.
Steven Schousen. Geyser, 2010. Graphite on paper.
James Karsina. Five Red Trees, 2009. Gouache on paper.
Margarent Vega. En route—Landscape, 2008. Oil on paper.
Sharon Sandberg. Bonsai: Little Plum Tree, 2007. Oil on linen.
George Peebles. Summer’s Delight, 2006. Oil on canvas.
Marybeth Hekman. Welcome to the Gardens, 2005. Watercolor.
Michael Pfleghaar. Plant Stand (Green House Party), 2004. Oil on paper.
Richard L. Cooper. Morning Bloom, 2003. Oil on canvas.
Lesley Malkowski. Untitled, 2002. Photograph.
- Artists who have been inspired by Meijer Gardens are encouraged to submit original works.
- Although not a requirement, artists are also welcome to work on site for inspiration. The winning entry will become part of Meijer Gardens’ permanent collection. It will be displayed and may eventually be reproduced (e.g. posters, note cards), with full credit to the artist, to promote the beauty and inspiration the organization provides.
Encouraging artists to enjoy and utilize Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park as a source of inspiration has long been important to the Loeschner family. Ray, and his wife Nancy, who passed away in 2012, have been lovingly involved with the institution when it was still but a dream more than twenty years ago. In 2002, they unveiled the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Art Competition for two-dimensional art. This annual juried event encourages entries by artists inspired by Meijer Gardens but rendered in two-dimensional form: painting, drawing, prints, pastels and photography.
“We all loved the idea of artists visiting the gardens,” Ray recently reflected, “we weren’t interested in artists submitting just any work – it had to be inspired by their experience here.”