The Don and Virginia Eckelberry Endowment

About the Endowment

Don Eckelberry (1921- 2001) is heralded as an artist, prolific bird guide illustrator, conservationist, and nurturer of talent.

His consummate skills as an ornithologist, field naturalist, and draftsman provide a standard of excellence for others to emulate. Don’s work embodies an ideal fusion of art and science. Virginia “Ginnie” Eckelberry (1914 - 2009), an accomplished graphic artist with a particular interest in textiles, also merged science and art with a career-long devotion to botany. Together, they devoted their professional lives and personal interests to art and nature.

Inspired by Don and Ginnie’s work, friends and admirers established an endowment in their honor to continue encouragement and support of the very best talent in the field of nature art. The goals of the endowment are:

• Fuse art and science with opportunities for observation of nature in the field
• Offer funding for research, travel, and field studies
• Create new advocates for the preservation of the natural world

If you're a nature artist—whether a painter, printmaker, sculptor, or work in other media—consider applying for the Eckelberry Fellowship. You also can learn about the Eckelberry Endowment and more about Don Eckelberry by clicking these links. The deadline for applications is October 31, 2021.