Graham & Grace score free tickets to Lyle Lovett concert

SooToday.com received the following news release today from the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Graham Clark retired last month as chief executive officer of the Group Health Centre.

**************************** Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park welcomes six millionth visitor

Well-attended Chihuly exhibition boosts attendance and ushers in visitor milestone earlier than predicted on Friday, May 7

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - (May 7) - Just one week after Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park opened its large-scale indoor and outdoor exhibition Chihuly: A New Eden, the organization welcomed its six-millionth visitor.

Graham and Grace Clark of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario were greeted by Fred Meijer and David Hooker, Meijer Gardens’ CEO today at 11 a.m.

The couple received a one-year membership to Meijer Gardens and two tickets to the special 15th anniversary concert with Lyle Lovett on August 7.

Meijer Gardens originally calculated the visitor milestone to occur in late May.

Chihuly’s 15 site-specific installations across the 132-acre campus have attracted more than 17,000 visitors in the first week alone.

The exhibition earned instant popularity and ushered in the six-millionth visitor much sooner than expected.

“It is an honor to have such an enthusiastic response to Chihuly’s work here at Meijer Gardens, from our members and the entire community,” said David Hooker, president and CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. “The unique setting and the breathtaking sculptures make it a memorable experience that will have people coming back again and again.”

Meijer Gardens recently celebrated its 15-year anniversary on April 20.

The six-millionth visitor milestone marks a decade and a half of rapid growth.

The organization was recently ranked in the top 100 most-visited art museums worldwide by Art Newspaper, the leading publication in global art news.

“Our family finds great reward in the number of people who have enjoyed Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park,” said Fred Meijer. “We hope to continue to inspire people with art and horticulture for many generations to come.”

Meijer Gardens saw its one-millionth visitor on April 19, 1999, eight-year-old Adam Abbott of Wayland, Michigan.

On August 14, 2002, four-year-old Jamie Lynn Urban of Ada was welcomed as the two-millionth visitor.

The three-millionth visitor was Judy Dodd of Claremont, California, who visited on October 21, 2004.

On July 10, 2006, Belinda O’Brian of Hertfordshire, England was welcomed as the four-millionth visitor and on June 5, 2008, Carol Hayes of Lansing and her granddaughters from Atlanta were the five-millionth visitors.

A New Eden opened to the public on April 30.

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to attend before A New Eden closes on September 30.

About Chihuly at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

April 30 - September 30, 2010

The work of renowned artist Dale Chihuly will be the subject of a large-scale outdoor exhibition at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. 

Fifteen monumental glass sculpture installations will be located throughout our conservatories, gardens and grounds.

Chihuly designed the exhibition specifically to respond to the horticultural focus and natural conditions of each of the respective sites.

The exhibition celebrates the efforts of one the world’s foremost artists across the campus of one of the nation’s most unique cultural organizations.

About Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

One of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park serves more than a half-million visitors annually.

Meijer Gardens was recently named one of the world’s 30 “Must-See Museums” by Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before you Die.

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 1750-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, Bourgeois, and Plensa among others. Indoor galleries host changing sculpture exhibitions with recent exhibitions by Picasso, Degas, di Suvero, Borofsky and Calder.

For more additional information, please visit www.MeijerGardens.org

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