MEIJER GARDENS CELEBRATES BANNER YEAR WITH MORE THAN 775,000 VISITORS

The organization credits the events and programming surrounding their 20th anniversary with the attendance surge.

Sometime soon you just have to spend a day at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. It will be a most memorable day!

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., — Jan. 11, 2016 —Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the nation’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, shattered attendance records in 2015 making it the best attended year in the organization’s history. More than 775,000 guests visited Meijer Gardens in 2015 compared to approximately 650,000 guests in 2014.

To celebrate Meijer Gardens 20th year, numerous programs were centered around the theme “Welcoming the World.” In April, the organization celebrated its 20th anniversary with the dedication and permanent installation of Ai Weiwei’s largest outdoor sculpture, Iron Tree. The monumental exhibition Splendors of Shiga: Treasures from Japan displayed more than 60 works never seen outside Japan ranging from the eight century to today, and was collaborated in partnership with Grand Rapids sister state, Shiga. In June, The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden opened, consecutively breaking attendance records in June, July and August. November welcomed Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World and introduced five new sister city landmarks from GA District in Ghana ; Perugia, Italy; Omihachiman, Japan; Zapopan, Mexico and Bielsko-Biala, Poland into the Railway Garden.

Most recently, Meijer Gardens and Grand Rapids were included in The New York Times top travel article “52 Places to See in 2016.”

About Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

One of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park serves over 650 thousand 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 158-acre main campus features 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 Oldenburg, Moore, Hepworth, Serra, Bourgeois, Ai Weiwei 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 eight–acre Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park opened. Created by renowned designer Hoichi Kurisu, the garden features sculpture by Anish Kapoor, Jenny Holzer and Guiseppe Penone, among others.