Bernheim is closed on February 19.

Bernheim receives award from the National Endowment for the Arts

By Lynette Cox

Bernheim Forest and Arboretum is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $30,000.

The grant will support Bernheim’s new large-scale, site-specific public arts program, L+A+N+D (Landscape + Art + Nature +Design): an experience of discovery. The NEA awarded 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants. Thirteen grants were awarded to Kentucky arts and culture organizations, totaling $365,000.

“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including L+A+N+D.”

“Bernheim is thrilled to receive this grant and recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts. This endorsement highlights the accomplishments of our long-established Arts in Nature program. Funds received from the grant will enable us to expand L+A+N+D with additional experiences that support artists raising awareness for environmental issues,” stated Jenny Zeller, Arts in Nature Curator at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum.

Opened in the fall of 2024, L+A+N+D celebrates innovative design concepts for immersive outdoor installations on a grand scale that spark imaginations, conversations, and a deeper appreciation of the natural world. As the program builds over time, additional art installations will be added annually and other, more ephemeral works, will rotate out.

In its inaugural year, L+A+N+D produced ten thought-provoking installations addressing humans’ connection to nature, beauty in landscape, biodiversity, conservation, sustainability and climate change. Designed and built by creatives from around the globe, these large-scale experiences are placed along new accessible pathways and trails meandering through open expanses and wild woods. Guests can enjoy these experiences throughout the year.

“Art in nature touches the heart and mind at the same time. These landscape-scale exhibits uniquely address science and nature to our guests from across the nation,” explained Dr. Mark K. Wourms, President and CEO at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum.

In conjunction with this announcement, Bernheim is launching the 2025 L+A+N+D Request for Proposals from creatives of all kinds, for the next round of installations. Applications will be accepted through March 24, 2025. Selected experiences are implemented via a stipend to the applicant(s), and a construction budget for fabrication and installation. Experiences will be designed and constructed in an ecologically responsible manner and should be able to withstand the outdoors in Kentucky for 2 to 5 years.

Learn more about L+A+N+D at Bernheim.org/landart. Approved images of L+A+N+D are available on these photo drives: Walks In the Fictional Woods, Becoming Nutrient, Within the Forest: Without the Forest, and Sylvan Sycamore.

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States.

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