<< Back 12/4/02 Artists encouraged to enter wildflower pilgrimage art contest SMN Visual artists are being sought to submit entries for the art contest portion of the 53rd Spring Wildflower Pilgrimmage, which will be held April 21-27, 2003, in Gatlinburg. The celebration offers participants the opportunity to enjoy Great Smoky Mountains National Park at its finest. More than 145 natural history and cultural programs are led by park rangers, botanists, zoologists, and other professionals who share their knowledge in their respective fields. Visual artists living in the U.S. are invited to submit up to five entries for the juried art contest. Primary subject matter must be botanically accurate renderings of flowering plants native to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The entry fee is $15 per entry (non-refundable). Acceptable media include watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, colored pencil, digitally-generated images and combinations thereof. No photography will be accepted. Submissions must be in the form of 35 mm slides. No original artwork will be accepted. The entry deadline is March 1, with the winning entry announced April 26. The winner will receive a $250 cash award, plus several other benefits. Jurors for the competition will be Bill Griffith, assistant director of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg; Terri Waters, watercolor artist, Gatlinburg; and Dr. Alan Heilman, associate professor (emeritus), Department of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Sponsors of the event are Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, City of Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg Garden Club, Southern Appalachian Botanical Society, and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. For more information on the art contest or the pilgrimage call 865.436.7318, ext. 22.