7th Annual World Lemur Festival Art Gallery
Lemurs need our help, and artists around the world have taken action to put a spotlight on Madagascar’s endangered primates.
Visual arts convey powerful messages and instill a sense of awe in ways that numbers and statistics alone cannot.
Art is one of the core principles of LCF’s mission statement, and each year we invite artists to participate in the World Lemur Festival Juried Art Exhibition to truly inspire, raise awareness, and take action to protect lemurs and their fragile habitats.
…dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the primates of Madagascar through managed breeding, scientific research, education, and art”
Congratulations to the winners of the 7th Annual World Lemur Festival Juried Art Contest!
The Lemur Conservation Foundation is honored to announce the winners of the 2024 World Lemur Festival Juried Art Contest!
This year’s artists come from countries including the United States, Madagascar, Turkey, Japan and Argentina.
Once again, the panel of judges had such a difficult time choosing from among the exceptional entries, they asked to add additional prize categories, which we did!
First Place Winner
The Lemur Conservation Foundation’s 2024 Artist of the Year, and winner of the $400 prize, is “Plea from the Shadows” by Nina Garza from Spring, Texas (US).
“I create art that goes beyond the canvas to inspire and advocate for the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats. My work draws from the interconnectedness of all living things, reflecting the beauty and vulnerability of our planet,” Garza said. “Through my art, I aim to spark a deeper appreciation for nature and raise awareness about the urgent need to protect it. Every piece I craft is a call to action, inviting viewers to not only find beauty in the natural world but to play a part in preserving it for future generations.”
Her 9 x 12-inch pen and colored ink painting of an endangered aye-aye lemur will be proudly included in LCF’s art collection and featured in a variety of outreach vehicles.
Second Place Winner
Second Place, and a $150 award, goes to “Big Eyes,” by Susan H. Long of Orlando, Florida (US).
Long’s 9 x 12-inch pastel depicts a critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur.
Third Place Winner
“Forest pollinator” by Lori Komejan of San Carlos, CA (US), was selected by the judges for Third Place and a $100 prize.
The 11 x 14-inch acrylic painting depicts a critically endangered red ruffed lemur.
Komejan said her entry focuses on “a red-ruffed lemur being a pollinator, surrounded by flowers.”
Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mentions, and $50 prizes, go to the 8.29 x 8.29-inch digital illustration, “Happy Together,” by Özlem Mehder of Ankara, Türkiye (Turkey), and the 20 x 16 inch cut paper collage, “Green Marble Forest,” by Christy Rupp of Saugerties, NY (US).
“I prepared digitally this illustration artwork,” Mehder said. “There are three lemurs in the illustration, and we see these three lemurs in their natural environment. I tried to depict the coexistence of these creatures, which are in danger of extinction, in their natural habitats and with their groups. At this point, “Happy Together” tries to emphasize that lemurs should not be interfered with in their natural habitats.”
Rupp said that her creation is “a collage that wonders why a species would harm its own environment.”
Many thanks to all of the talented artists who entered the competition!
Congratulations to the winners of the 7th Annual World Lemur Festival Art Contest!
The Lemur Conservation Foundation is honored to announce the winners of the 2024 World Lemur Festival Juried Art Contest!
This unique exhibition encourages artists and the public to more closely examine imperiled lemurs and to think critically about their uncertain future.
This year’s artists come from countries including the United States, Madagascar, Turkey, Japan and Argentina.
Once again, the panel of judges had such a difficult time choosing from among the exceptional entries, they asked to add additional prize categories, which we did!
First Place Winner
The Lemur Conservation Foundation’s 2024 Artist of the Year, and winner of the $400 prize, is “Plea from the Shadows” by Nina Garza from Spring, Texas (US).
“I create art that goes beyond the canvas to inspire and advocate for the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats. My work draws from the interconnectedness of all living things, reflecting the beauty and vulnerability of our planet,” Garza said. “Through my art, I aim to spark a deeper appreciation for nature and raise awareness about the urgent need to protect it. Every piece I craft is a call to action, inviting viewers to not only find beauty in the natural world but to play a part in preserving it for future generations.”
Her 9 x 12-inch pen and colored ink painting of an endangered aye-aye lemur will be proudly included in LCF’s art collection and featured in a variety of outreach vehicles.
Second Place Winner
Second Place, and a $150 award, goes to “Big Eyes,” by Susan H. Long of Orlando, Florida (US).
Long’s 9 x 12-inch pastel depicts a critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur.
Third Place Winner
“Forest pollinator” by Lori Komejan of San Carlos, CA (US), was selected by the judges for Third Place and a $100 prize.
The 11 x 14-inch acrylic painting depicts a critically endangered red ruffed lemur.
Komejan said her entry focuses on “a red-ruffed lemur being a pollinator, surrounded by flowers.”
Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mentions, and $50 prizes, go to the 8.29 x 8.29-inch digital illustration, “Happy Together,” by Özlem Mehder of Ankara, Türkiye (Turkey), and the 20 x 16 inch cut paper collage, “Green Marble Forest,” by Christy Rupp of Saugerties, NY (US).
“I prepared digitally this illustration artwork,” Mehder said. “There are three lemurs in the illustration, and we see these three lemurs in their natural environment. I tried to depict the coexistence of these creatures, which are in danger of extinction, in their natural habitats and with their groups. At this point, “Happy Together” tries to emphasize that lemurs should not be interfered with in their natural habitats.”
Rupp said that her creation is “a collage that wonders why a species would harm its own environment.”
Many thanks to all of the talented artists who entered the competition!
Community Favorite!
“The discrete lemur” by Herindrainy Davidson Hajanantenaina of Antananarivo, Madagascar was chosen the Community Favorite in the 7th Annual World Lemur Festival’s juried art contest, with an impressive 167 votes!
The artist said his creation is “a digital artwork that shows the largest species of the nocturnal lemurs in its natural habitat.”
Hajanantenaina will receive the $100 prize. Congratulations!
Ken Moser of Wesley Chapel, FL (US) came in a close second with 159 votes for his framed stained glass depiction of three lemurs, “The Watchman.”
Thank you to everyone who helped choose the Community Favorite!
Community Favorite!
“The discrete lemur” by Herindrainy Davidson Hajanantenaina of Antananarivo, Madagascar was chosen the Community Favorite in the 7th Annual World Lemur Festival’s juried art contest, with an impressive 167 votes! The artist said his creation is “a digital artwork that shows the largest species of the nocturnal lemurs in its natural habitat.”
Hajanantenaina will receive the $100 prize. Congratulations!
Ken Moser of Wesley Chapel, FL (US) came in a close second with 159 votes for his framed stained glass depiction of three lemurs, “The Watchman.”
Thank you to everyone who helped choose the Community Favorite!
We are proud to digitally showcase the following entries during our 7th annual Juried Art Exhibition.
Please enjoy these lemur-themed pieces created by artists around the globe. Thank you to all the participants who submitted art; together we can protect the primates of Madagascar.
October 24, 2024 – 5:00pm ET: Voting has ended for our Community Favorite. Any additional votes will not be counted. Thank you for supporting Lemurs and artists!
Meet the Judges
Penelope Bodry-Sanders
Penelope founded LCF in 1996 and served as its executive director until 2010. In 1998, Penelope retired from New York’s American Museum of Natural History after serving over 18 years in a number of capacities, but primarily as education coordinator for the museum’s international education travel program. She continues her AMNH affiliation as a field associate in the Division of Anthropology.
Penelope’s own path to conservation was anything but conventional: she was a Dominican nun and an actress/singer on and off Broadway before she founded LCF. Today she makes paintings that celebrate animals undervalued or loathed, mostly hyenas, lemurs, and invertebrates. Penelope is dedicated to the idea that art cannot change the world but that it can most certainly change the way we think, interpret, and feel about it.
Mark Ormond
Mark’s primary interest and expertise is in contemporary art. With over 25 years of experience in the art world, he has organized dozens of museum exhibitions – and scheduled, coordinated, designed and installed over one hundred others. After completing graduate and undergraduate programs in art history at George Washington University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively, he held museum positions in the areas of education, curatorial, collections management and administration. He is also a graduate of U.C. Berkeley’s Museum Management Institute.
During his ten-year association with the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, he was appointed Senior Curator & Deputy Director for Collections and Programs. While in Miami, he became the first Curator and then was appointed Director of the Center for the Fine Arts (now the Miami Art Museum). He has also held positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. As an independent curator, author, lecturer and consultant since 1999, Mark remains engaged in a broad range of contemporary art projects.
Jean Blackburn
Jean was born and grew up on Anna Maria Island, Florida. She received a BA Degree from the University of Florida, an AS degree in Biological Parks Technology from State College of FL, Gainesville and an MFA from the University of Oregon where she was awarded a two year graduate teaching fellowship. She taught fine arts at State College of Florida, Manatee, Ringling College of Art and Design and New College of Florida. She has completed a masters workshop at the Canadian School of Non-toxic Printmaking in Alberta and at The Edinburgh Institute of Printmaking in Scotland.
She was certified by the University of Florida as a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist and served on governing boards of Sarasota’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Council, Sea to Shore Alliance and The Friends of Myakka River State Park. Her early adult years were spent sailing and painting throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas and Central America. A small farm in Old Myakka and a cottage on Longboat Key is where she now gardens, paints and lives with her family.