HOLLAND, Mich. — Organizers of the Tulip Time Festival have picked out the winner of the 2020 Artwork Competition.
Aron Lowe's work, "Dutch Dance," is the winner of the 10th annual contest. The announcement was made Thursday evening at the First Bloem Celebration at the Holland Civic Center.
Festival sponsors, artists, art lovers, and members of the public attended the event where the evening began with a reception honoring the Top 20 artists and their artwork.
Each year a work of art is selected for the official Tulip Time Festival poster. This year, 56 artists from the region submitted a total of 110 works for this juried competition. This year’s submissions were reviewed by John Berry, former Vice President of Corporate Communications at Herman Miller, who designated the Top 20 from which the winning piece was selected.
The winning artist, Aron Lowe, is a native Michigander and has attended Tulip Time since before she could walk, according to a press release from Tulip Time. This is her inaugural entry into the Festival Artwork Competition.
“I really enjoyed portraying all of the Dutch dancer costumes and translating them into a stylized pattern -- reminiscent of a block quilt," Lowe said of her piece. It's a departure from her usual medium, which is felted wool sculpture.
She lives in Fennville with her husband, Jerod, baby Guinevere, and three pets, Emma, Teddy, and Pip.
“Dutch Dance,” and the other Top 20 original works, will be on display at the Holland Area Arts Council from May 2 through May 10, 2020. The 19 remaining works will compete for the Viewers’ Choice Awards. The top three pieces with the most votes will win cash prizes. The community and all visitors are invited to participate by casting their vote for their favorite artwork. The winners of the Viewers’ Choice Awards will be announced on Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 10 a.m. via Facebook Live.
“Dutch Dance” will be featured on posters, giclee prints, and other festival merchandise beginning February 7 at the Tulip Time office, and soon after on the Tulip Time website and at area galleries and shops.
Previous winners of the Festival Artwork competition include:
2011 Beth Charles – “Drama Queens”
2012 Brittany Strabbing – “Beautiful Dream”
2013 Maggie Schultz – “Clothed in Splendor”
2014 Karin Nelson – “Resilience”
2015 Carolyn Stich – “Joy of Spring”
2016 Alla Dickson – “Spectacle”
2017 Michele Gort – “Playful Time”
2018 Cindy Awrey – “Together”
2019 Carolyn Stich – “Enduring Delflt”
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