Nature Meets Art: Discover 5 Amazing American Sculpture Parks
As autumn makes its arrival, open-air art enthusiasts and nature lovers now have even more reason than ever before to explore the great outdoors. This fall, go on a journey to some of the most captivating sculpture parks across America, where art and nature converge in thought-provoking ways amidst beautiful settings.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI
Recently welcoming its 15th million visitor, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is getting ready to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025. The campus houses Michigan's biggest tropical conservatory, as well as one of America's largest interactive children's gardens. It also boasts Victorian gardens with pieces by famed artists Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin, a collection of carnivorous plants, sweeping outdoor gardens (which include a 1930s-era farm garden), a Japanese garden and a large outdoor amphitheater that hosts famed musicians every summer.
On September 23, 2024 the park will unveil a major exhibition by David Smith, featuring the artist's sculptures in dialogue with nature. The exhibition, 'David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture,' will be presented until March 2, 2025. The permanent collection features hundreds of sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists like El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder and more.
Glenstone Museum in Potomac, MD
To create a tranquil and contemplative environment for visitors, Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland harmoniously blends art, architecture and nature. Modern and contemporary pieces are showcased in a collection of specially chosen indoor and outdoor spaces. The 300-acres of undulating meadows and woodland present massive sculptures by artists like Janet Cardiff, Jeff Koons, Ellsworth Kelly, Simone Leigh and more. Programming also features musical performances, architectural walks to explore the Charles Gwathmey-designed Gallery and Patio buildings, and the 'annual planting' of Jeff Koons's Split-Rocker sculpture which is made of living, flowering flora.
The Stuart Collection at UC San Diego in La Jolla, CA
Spread throughout UC San Diego's 1,200-acre campus, the Stuart Collection is a one-of-a-kind grouping of artworks by acclaimed global artists, such as Michael Asher, John Baldessari, Mark Bradford, Jackie Ferrara, Do Ho Suh and more. The Stuart Collection has recently introduced an Emerging Artists Program that features new commissions by artist collective RojoNegro, featuring Noé Martínez and María Sosa; sculptor Max Hooper Schneider; and poet, artist and chef Precious Okoyomon. One of the overarching goals of the collection is to reexamine conventional views of public art in playful and thought-provoking ways as it showcases experimental art to the public and UCSD's community.
Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, NY
Come discover why this art center is a go-to destination for art lovers and day-trippers. Storm King Art Center is an incredible 500-acre outdoor museum located in New York's Hudson Valley. Since its founding in 1960, Storm King has proudly displayed jaw-dropping monumental sculptures throughout its verdant grounds, including pieces by celebrated artists like Lynda Benglis, Alexander Calder, Barbara Hepworth, Mark di Suvero and more. Storm King, which is overseen by Artistic Director and Chief Curator Nora Lawrence, has always prided itself in encouraging artists to create ambitious works, including the current exhibition 'Arlene Shechet: Girl Group' featuring the artist's first large-scale sculptures.
The Ann and Jim Goodnight Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina
The Ann and Jim Goodnight Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, spans 164 acres and includes site-specific environmental artworks, 4.7 miles of recreational trails, and an All-Access Eco Trail offering accessible tours of the expansive grounds, art installations and local wildlife. The Museum Park art program encourages collaborations between artists, designers, and environmental scientists to create innovative pieces that are inspired by nature.
These works, which are both temporary and permanent, strive to connect with the landscape and offer new perspectives on nature in order to facilitate an exploration of our connection to the environment, as well as nature's role in society. Notable works include commissions by Jeppe Hein, Hugh Hayden, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Yinka Shonibare and Thomas Sayre. The Museum's permanent collection spans more than 5,000 years, from antiquity to the present, making the institution one of the best art museums in the American South.
