Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
Encyclopedia
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a 132 acres (53.4 ha) botanical garden
and outdoor sculpture
park located in Grand Rapids Township, Michigan in Kent County
. Commonly referred to as Meijer Gardens, it has quickly become one of the most significant sculpture experiences in the Midwest and an emerging worldwide cultural destination. In May, 2009 it was named one of the top "30 Must-See Museums" in the world. It is Michigan's second largest tourist attraction.
, who donated financial support, land and their entire sculpture collection to the organization.
In 1990 the West Michigan Horticultural Society approached Frederik Meijer about donating a parcel of land owned by Meijer, Inc, as a potential home for a botanic garden and conservatory.
Meijer, Inc donated 70.7 acres (28.6 ha) of land in Grand Rapids Township, Michigan for the Gardens site in January 1991. At the same time, Fred and Lena Meijer donated their entire sculpture collection to the project. The Michigan Botanic Garden, as the project was called, was renamed Frederik Meijer Gardens after its major benefactor.
The distinctive signature of the park and gardens, which emphasizes the equally important entities of sculpture and horticulture, satisfies Meijer's goal to unite the visual art of humankind and the visual art of nature.
It is currently the second most-popular cultural destination in Michigan with 600,000 visitors annually, and is funded almost entirely by private donations. Meijer Gardens includes Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; three indoor theme gardens; outdoor gardens, nature trails and boardwalk; sculpture galleries and permanent sculpture; library; audiovisual theater; a café and gift shop; classrooms and meeting rooms. Both indoors and outdoors, the entire property is fully handicap accessible.
In its first ten years of operation, Meijer Gardens has attracted more than three million visitors. Meijer Gardens celebrated its 10th anniversary on April 20, 2005. On May 7, 2010, the Gardens welcomed its six millionth visitor.
The Lena Meijer Conservatory at Meijer Gardens is a five-story, 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) facility featuring rock landscapes by designer Philip diGiacomo and plant selections by garden designer Stephen Rosselet. The conservatory houses tropical plants from around the world, including coconut
palms from the Pacific, fig trees from India, exotic orchids from Central and South America, Asiatic bamboo
and banana
trees. Additional indoor gardens include the nation's most comprehensive carnivorous plant house, arid house, featuring Saguaro cacti, and Victorian conservatory.
The outdoor gardens, by internationally acclaimed landscape designer James van Sweden of Washington, D.C., and garden designer Penelope Hobhouse
of Sussex, England, feature four-season plantings that can be enjoyed throughout the year. In September 1997, the Leslie E. Tassell English Perennial & Bulb Garden and the New American Garden were dedicated.
To foster an educational awareness of numerous ecosystems in West Michigan, the Wege Nature Trail is a paved path that winds through a forested section of the property. It is connected to the Frey Boardwalk which brings visitors to the natural wetlands. Featured on these walks are bird watching sites, natural prairie areas, a tadpole pond and beautiful vistas.
The Gwen Frostic
Woodland Shade Garden, dedicated in June 1998, commemorates the artistic influence of a well-known naturalist artist and writer and features woodland plants including fern
s, hosta
s, bleeding heart
s, rhododendron
s and azalea
s.
In May 2003, Meijer Gardens opened the 3 acres (1.2 ha), Michigan Farm Garden as a place where families can experience gardens filled with heirloom vegetables, orchards and figurative animal sculpture within a 1930s era farm setting complete with a 100-year-old barn and replica of Lena (Rader) Meijer’s childhood farmhouse.
The Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater opened in June 2003. The outdoor music and theater venue features a covered stage set to symphony standards, and is able to accommodate almost any musical performance. As a garden itself, the Amphitheater features tiered lawn seating for 1800 people. Past musicians featured on the Meijer Gardens stage include Art Garfunkel
, B.B. King, David Byrne
, Ani DiFranco
and George Benson
.
The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden at Meijer Gardens opened in June 2004 and is one of the largest children’s gardens in the nation. This unique family experience revolves around the enchanted world of plants, gardens, sculpture and nature through creative interactive areas encompassing 5 acres (2 ha). Woodland tree houses and a log cabin, an interactive water garden, a butterfly maze, sensory garden and much more, is featured within the most enchanting children’s gardens in the Midwest.
As part of Meijer Gardens' educational focus, the Peter M. Wege Library offers reference books and periodicals on horticulture and sculpture.
Meijer Gardens includes a 30 acres (12.1 ha) outdoor sculpture park, which opened on May 16, 2002. It features more than 170 sculptures by world-renowned artists including Magdalena Abakanowicz
, Jonathan Borofsky
, Alexander Calder
, Tony Smith
, Anthony Caro
, Anthony Gormley, Mark di Suvero
, Henry Moore
, Claes Oldenburg
, Marshall Fredericks
, Arnaldo Pomodoro
, Dale Chihuly
, Laura Ford
and Kenneth Snelson
among others. The collection includes numerous monumental sculptures exhibited outdoors, throughout all areas of the property, as well as indoors in the conservatory, specialty gardens and gallery.
Among the many highlights for visitors is Nina Akamu’s The American Horse, created in homage to Leonardo da Vinci
's original commission by the Duke of Milan as well as selected works by Rodin
and Degas featured in the Victorian Conservatory.
The Sculpture Program at Meijer Gardens features three temporary exhibitions annually. Featured exhibitions included works by Andy Goldsworthy
, Tom Otterness
, Magdalena Abakanowicz
, George Rickey
and Jaume Plensa
.
Butterflies -
Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming began in 1995 and is open every year, March 1 through April 30. It is the largest temporary butterfly exhibit in the United States with more than 6,000 tropical butterflies from Central and South America and Asia on display in the Lena Meijer Conservatory. This is Meijer Gardens' largest exhibit with more than 150,000 visitors annually.
Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World -
Started in 1995 as an effort to share how Christmas is celebrated around the world, every November through the first week of January, Meijer Gardens embraces the decorations, music and food of more than 40 countries and cultures and 300,000 lights twinkling indoors and out. Family activities, carriage rides and holiday entertainment take place during weekends and Tuesday nights. The exhibit has grown to become a holiday tradition with more than 75,000 guests visiting from around the country every year.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
and outdoor sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
park located in Grand Rapids Township, Michigan in Kent County
Kent County, Michigan
-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...
. Commonly referred to as Meijer Gardens, it has quickly become one of the most significant sculpture experiences in the Midwest and an emerging worldwide cultural destination. In May, 2009 it was named one of the top "30 Must-See Museums" in the world. It is Michigan's second largest tourist attraction.
"There's nothing quite like Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park this side of the Kroller-Muller Museum and Sculpture Park in The Netherlands" - The Wall Street Journal, April 2005
History
Meijer Gardens opened to the public on April 20, 1995 through the generosity of Frederik and Lena Meijer, the family behind the Meijer CorporationMeijer
Meijer, Inc. is a regional American hypermarket chain based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1934 as a supermarket chain, Meijer is credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in 1962. About half of the company's 196 stores are located in Michigan, with additional locations in...
, who donated financial support, land and their entire sculpture collection to the organization.
In 1990 the West Michigan Horticultural Society approached Frederik Meijer about donating a parcel of land owned by Meijer, Inc, as a potential home for a botanic garden and conservatory.
The distinctive signature of the park and gardens, which emphasizes the equally important entities of sculpture and horticulture, satisfies Meijer's goal to unite the visual art of humankind and the visual art of nature.
It is currently the second most-popular cultural destination in Michigan with 600,000 visitors annually, and is funded almost entirely by private donations. Meijer Gardens includes Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; three indoor theme gardens; outdoor gardens, nature trails and boardwalk; sculpture galleries and permanent sculpture; library; audiovisual theater; a café and gift shop; classrooms and meeting rooms. Both indoors and outdoors, the entire property is fully handicap accessible.
In its first ten years of operation, Meijer Gardens has attracted more than three million visitors. Meijer Gardens celebrated its 10th anniversary on April 20, 2005. On May 7, 2010, the Gardens welcomed its six millionth visitor.
Horticulture
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
palms from the Pacific, fig trees from India, exotic orchids from Central and South America, Asiatic bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
trees. Additional indoor gardens include the nation's most comprehensive carnivorous plant house, arid house, featuring Saguaro cacti, and Victorian conservatory.
Penelope Hobhouse
Penelope Hobhouse is a garden writer, designer, lecturer and television presenter.-Background:...
of Sussex, England, feature four-season plantings that can be enjoyed throughout the year. In September 1997, the Leslie E. Tassell English Perennial & Bulb Garden and the New American Garden were dedicated.
To foster an educational awareness of numerous ecosystems in West Michigan, the Wege Nature Trail is a paved path that winds through a forested section of the property. It is connected to the Frey Boardwalk which brings visitors to the natural wetlands. Featured on these walks are bird watching sites, natural prairie areas, a tadpole pond and beautiful vistas.
The Gwen Frostic
Gwen Frostic
Gwen Frostic born as Sara Gwendolen Frostic, was an artist, author, and Michigan Women's Hall of Fame inductee.-Life:...
Woodland Shade Garden, dedicated in June 1998, commemorates the artistic influence of a well-known naturalist artist and writer and features woodland plants including fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, hosta
Hosta
Hosta is a genus of about 23–45 species of lily-like plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae, native to northeast Asia. They have been placed in their own family, Hostaceae ; like many 'lilioid monocots', they were once classified in the Liliaceae...
s, bleeding heart
Bleeding heart
A bleeding heart is an informal label applied to someone regarded as excessively sympathetic, liberal in a political sense, or both. It is typically considered a derogatory remark...
s, rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s and azalea
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s.
In May 2003, Meijer Gardens opened the 3 acres (1.2 ha), Michigan Farm Garden as a place where families can experience gardens filled with heirloom vegetables, orchards and figurative animal sculpture within a 1930s era farm setting complete with a 100-year-old barn and replica of Lena (Rader) Meijer’s childhood farmhouse.
The Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater opened in June 2003. The outdoor music and theater venue features a covered stage set to symphony standards, and is able to accommodate almost any musical performance. As a garden itself, the Amphitheater features tiered lawn seating for 1800 people. Past musicians featured on the Meijer Gardens stage include Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
, B.B. King, David Byrne
David Byrne (musician)
David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
, Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
and George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
.
The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden at Meijer Gardens opened in June 2004 and is one of the largest children’s gardens in the nation. This unique family experience revolves around the enchanted world of plants, gardens, sculpture and nature through creative interactive areas encompassing 5 acres (2 ha). Woodland tree houses and a log cabin, an interactive water garden, a butterfly maze, sensory garden and much more, is featured within the most enchanting children’s gardens in the Midwest.
As part of Meijer Gardens' educational focus, the Peter M. Wege Library offers reference books and periodicals on horticulture and sculpture.
Sculpture
Magdalena Abakanowicz
Magdalena Abakanowicz is a Polish sculptor. She is notable for her use of textiles as a sculptural medium. She was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań, Poland from 1965 to 1990 and a visiting professor at University of California, Los Angeles in 1984...
, Jonathan Borofsky
Jonathan Borofsky
Jonathan Borofsky is an American sculptor and printmaker who lives and works in Maine.Borofsky was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in 1964, after which he continued his studies at France's Ecole de Fontainebleau and received his...
, Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
, Tony Smith
Tony Smith (sculptor)
Tony Smith was an American sculptor, visual artist, architectural designer, and a noted theorist on art. He is often cited as a pioneering figure in American Minimalist sculpture.-Education:...
, Anthony Caro
Anthony Caro
Sir Anthony Alfred Caro, OM, CBE is an English abstract sculptor whose work is characterised by assemblages of metal using 'found' industrial objects.-Background and early life:...
, Anthony Gormley, Mark di Suvero
Mark di Suvero
Marco Polo "Mark" di Suvero is an American abstract expressionist sculptor born Marco Polo Levi in Shanghai, China in 1933 to Italian expatriates. He immigrated to San Francisco, California in 1942 with his family. From 1953 to 1957, he attended the University of California, Berkeley to study...
, Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects...
, Marshall Fredericks
Marshall Fredericks
Marshall Maynard Fredericks was an American sculptor.-Biography:Fredericks was born of Scandinavian heritage in Rock Island, Illinois on January 31, 1908. His family moved to Florida for a short time and then settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he grew up...
, Arnaldo Pomodoro
Arnaldo Pomodoro
Arnaldo Pomodoro is an Italian sculptor. He was born on 23 June 1926, in Morciano, Romagna, Italy. He currently lives and works in Milan. His brother, Giò Pomodoro was also a sculptor....
, Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
, Laura Ford
Laura Ford
Laura Ford is a Welsh artist and sculptor who has exhibited her work at the British Art Show and represented Wales at Venice Biennale. She is recognised internationally as one of the UK's leading sculptors and is included in important museum collections worldwide-Early life and career:Ford was...
and Kenneth Snelson
Kenneth Snelson
Kenneth Snelson is a contemporary sculptor and photographer. His sculptural works are composed of flexible and rigid components arranged according to the idea of 'tensegrity', although Snelson does not use the term....
among others. The collection includes numerous monumental sculptures exhibited outdoors, throughout all areas of the property, as well as indoors in the conservatory, specialty gardens and gallery.
Among the many highlights for visitors is Nina Akamu’s The American Horse, created in homage to Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
's original commission by the Duke of Milan as well as selected works by Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
and Degas featured in the Victorian Conservatory.
The Sculpture Program at Meijer Gardens features three temporary exhibitions annually. Featured exhibitions included works by Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy, OBE is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.-Life and career:The son of F...
, Tom Otterness
Tom Otterness
Tom Otterness is an American sculptor whose works adorn parks, plazas, subway stations, libraries, courthouses and museums in New York---most notably in Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City and in the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station---and other cities around the world...
, Magdalena Abakanowicz
Magdalena Abakanowicz
Magdalena Abakanowicz is a Polish sculptor. She is notable for her use of textiles as a sculptural medium. She was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań, Poland from 1965 to 1990 and a visiting professor at University of California, Los Angeles in 1984...
, George Rickey
George Rickey
George Rickey was an American kinetic sculptor.Rickey was born on June 6, 1907 in South Bend, Indiana.-Life and work:...
and Jaume Plensa
Jaume Plensa
Jaime Plensa is an Spanish artist and sculptor.-Biography:Plensa was born at Barcelona. Plensa studied art in his home city, in the "Llotja" School and in the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Jorge....
.
Seasonal Exhibitions
Every year, Meijer Gardens features two of its largest exhibitions, Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming, sponsored by Foremost Insurance Group, and Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World.Butterflies -
Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming began in 1995 and is open every year, March 1 through April 30. It is the largest temporary butterfly exhibit in the United States with more than 6,000 tropical butterflies from Central and South America and Asia on display in the Lena Meijer Conservatory. This is Meijer Gardens' largest exhibit with more than 150,000 visitors annually.
Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World -
Started in 1995 as an effort to share how Christmas is celebrated around the world, every November through the first week of January, Meijer Gardens embraces the decorations, music and food of more than 40 countries and cultures and 300,000 lights twinkling indoors and out. Family activities, carriage rides and holiday entertainment take place during weekends and Tuesday nights. The exhibit has grown to become a holiday tradition with more than 75,000 guests visiting from around the country every year.