Last year, we highlighted this mural in Milwaukee’s Washington Park by Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design professor Brad Bernard.  

Calling artists of all ages! The Olmsted Network needs your help to create a bag for our upcoming conference. We are looking for a 2-D piece of art inspired by Downing Park in Newburgh, NY and its unique history as the last great work of famed landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, honoring their mentor (and Newburgh native) Andrew Jackson Downing.  

We’re asking you to submit artwork that we can use during our upcoming conference— Landscapes of Renewal: Olmsted, Vaux and Downing— on September 13-15. Works should focus on the beauty of Downing Park and pull inspiration from the following resources:  

People of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to submit to info@olmsted.org before the deadline of July 29. Please include your name, city/state and any other information (school grade, job title, etc.) that you’d like to share with your artwork. By submitting artwork for consideration, you agree to allow the Olmsted Network to print, sell and distribute your design with prominent credit.  

The winner will be announced in our August 1 newsletter and receive three complimentary tickets to our community lunch in Downing Park on September 13, as well as a check for $200, a certificate and three tote bags with the design. Award winners will also be featured in our newsletter, annual report and social media (@OlmstedNetwork). 

About Frederick Law Olmsted:  
In a career spanning half a century, Frederick Law Olmsted completed thousands of landscape projects across America, such as Central Park and the U.S. Capitol Grounds. He is remembered as the preeminent 19th-century landscape architect and the founder of the profession, with his sons— Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and John Charles Olmsted— following in his footsteps.  

About the Olmsted Network:  
Founded in 1980, the Olmsted Network is the first and only national organization dedicated to championing these special parks and places. We work with conservancies, friends groups and other advocates to ensure that Olmsted landscapes are protected and that Olmsted principles democratic spaces, community building and more— are still valued today.