Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please

improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. (January 2010)

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Type

Sculpture park and botanic garden

Location

Grand Rapids Township, Michigan

Coordinates

42.981N 85.591WCoordinates:

42.981N

85.591W

Area

132 acres (53 ha)

Created

1995

Operated by West Michigan Horticultural Society

Open

All year

Website

http://www.meijergardens.org

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a 158-acre (64 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 April 2005, The Wall
Street Journal wrote that "There's nothing quite like Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park this
side of the Kroller-Muller Museum and Sculpture Park in The Netherlands".[citation needed]
In May 2009, it was named one of the top "30 Must-See Museums" in the world.[1] It is Michigan's
second-largest tourist attraction and is a feature venue in ArtPrize, the largest art competition
decided by public vote. In ArtPrize 2012, it debuted "Quan," an outdoor sculpture by Carole
Feuerman, as part of its fall group show "Body Double: The Figure in Contemporary
Sculpture."[2] Feuerman's sculpture ranked in the top 50 of the competition, drawing in crowds to the
sculpture park.[3]

Contents
[hide]

1History
2Horticulture
3Sculpture
4Seasonal exhibitions
5Gallery
6See also
7References
8External links

History[edit]
Meijer Gardens opened to the public on April 20, 1995 through the generosity of Frederik and Lena
Meijer, the family behind the Meijer Corporation, 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 Arid room contains many species of plant life found in desert terrains.

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 Michigans largest
tropical conservatory; three indoor theme gardens; a new 8-acre Japanese Garden scheduled to
open in 2015, outdoor gardens, nature trails and boardwalk; sculpture galleries and permanent
sculpture; library; audiovisual theater; a caf 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 15th anniversary on April 20, 2010. On May 7, 2010, the Gardens welcomed
its six millionth visitor.[4]

Horticulture[edit]

Conservatory, Amphitheater, and surrounding landscape.

The Lena Meijer Conservatory at Meijer Gardens is a five-story, 15,000-square-foot (1,400 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 Wege Nature Trail branches off from the garden area into a preserve of native Michigan trees and
wetlands.

Opened on June 10, 2015, the 8-acre Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden furthers the
organizations dual mission of horticulture and sculpture. One of the most revered and deeply
appreciated international garden styles, the 8-acre Japanese Garden is located in the northeast
corner of the 132-acre property and exudes the very essence of the Japanese traditiontranquility,
simplicity and beauty. The design re-imagined existing features of the landwater, elevation
changes and quiet surroundingswith a combination of manicured and naturalistic areas.
The artful design by Hoichi Kurisu, president and founder of Kurisu International, Inc., reflects this
essence through a variety of horticultural elements such as zen, moss and bonsai gardens, scenic
bridges, waterfalls and a tea house, among many other features. Also included are works of
contemporary sculpture by major international artists whose aesthetic and form will work in harmony
with the space.
One of the sculptures is a major work by Anish Kapoor, one of the most acclaimed artists working
today. It is one of the few works in granite the artist has created. Circular units on the front surface of
the sculpture reflect and enhance the surrounding environment while the quiet mood of the work
encourages meditation. AE and Owen Ames Kimball provided architectural, engineering and
construction management support.
The outdoor gardens, by internationally acclaimed landscape designer James van Sweden of
Washington, D.C., and garden designer Penelope Hobhouse of Sussex, England, feature fourseason 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 ferns, hostas, bleeding hearts[disambiguation needed], rhododendrons and azaleas.
In May 2003, Meijer Gardens opened the 3-acre (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 a replica of Lena
(Rader) Meijers 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 1,800
people. Past musicians featured on the Meijer Gardens Amphitheater stage include Harry Connick
Jr., B.B. King, Sheryl Crow,Steve Miller Band and Wynton Marsalis.
The Lena Meijer Childrens Garden at Meijer Gardens opened in June 2004 and is one of the
largest childrens 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 (2.0 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 childrens
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.