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READERS' CHOICE AWARDS
Sculpture

10 best sculpture parks in the U.S., according to our readers

10Best Editors
These 10 sculpture parks and gardens, voted as the best in the United States in our 10Best Readers ' Choice Awards , allow you to appreciate art al fresco. With the weather heating up across the nation, now ’ s the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy a sculpture park near you.
These 10 sculpture parks and gardens, voted as the best in the United States in our 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, allow you to appreciate art al fresco. With the weather heating up across the nation, now’s the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy a sculpture park near you.
Jaroslaw Predki, Getty Images/iStockphoto
No. 10: Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden - New Orleans, Louisiana. The sculpture garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) includes more than 90 works displayed on 11 acres of City Park. Visitors can enjoy these works of art amid a landscape of mature pines, magnolias, live oaks and two lagoons.
No. 10: Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden - New Orleans, Louisiana. The sculpture garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) includes more than 90 works displayed on 11 acres of City Park. Visitors can enjoy these works of art amid a landscape of mature pines, magnolias, live oaks and two lagoons.
Richard Sexton Copyright 2004
No. 9: Desert X - Coachella Valley, California. Desert X isn ’ t your typical sculpture park. These recurring contemporary art exhibitions feature site-specific installations by international artists in desert locations throughout the Palm Springs region. Exhibitions are free, and each is designed to leave no trace after it closes in an effort to protect the desert environment.
No. 9: Desert X - Coachella Valley, California. Desert X isn’t your typical sculpture park. These recurring contemporary art exhibitions feature site-specific installations by international artists in desert locations throughout the Palm Springs region. Exhibitions are free, and each is designed to leave no trace after it closes in an effort to protect the desert environment.
Lance Gerber (photographer) And Alicja Kwade (artist) / Desert X
No. 8: Olympic Sculpture Park - Seattle, Washington. The free Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum features nine monumental works along the downtown waterfront. The nine-acre green space – the largest downtown – offers not only art, but stellar views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.
No. 8: Olympic Sculpture Park - Seattle, Washington. The free Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum features nine monumental works along the downtown waterfront. The nine-acre green space – the largest downtown – offers not only art, but stellar views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.
Benjamin Benschneider, Benjamin Benschneider
No. 7: Art Omi - Ghent, New York. This 120-acre sculpture and architecture park in Columbia County, New York features contemporary installations by artists from around the globe. Visitors can see more than 60 works on display in nature, with pieces added or exchanged every year.
No. 7: Art Omi - Ghent, New York. This 120-acre sculpture and architecture park in Columbia County, New York features contemporary installations by artists from around the globe. Visitors can see more than 60 works on display in nature, with pieces added or exchanged every year.
Alon Koppel / Art Omi (Alex Schweder + Ward Shelley, ReActor)
No. 6: Glenstone - Potomac, Maryland. Post-World War II works from the 20th and 21st centuries sit on display across indoor and outdoor spaces at Glenstone, a museum blending art, architecture and landscape design. Rotating art exhibits draw almost exclusively from the Glenstone collection, which highlights “ art that represent pivotal shifts in the perception and understanding of the art of our time.
No. 6: Glenstone - Potomac, Maryland. Post-World War II works from the 20th and 21st centuries sit on display across indoor and outdoor spaces at Glenstone, a museum blending art, architecture and landscape design. Rotating art exhibits draw almost exclusively from the Glenstone collection, which highlights “art that represent pivotal shifts in the perception and understanding of the art of our time.
Glenstone
No. 5: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum - Lincoln, Massachusetts. This 30-acre sculpture park and museum west of Boston hosts some 60 works of modern and contemporary art. The collection, displayed amid the lawns, gardens, forests and fields alongside Flint ’ s Pond, include collection works, loaned pieces and site-specific installations.
No. 5: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum - Lincoln, Massachusetts. This 30-acre sculpture park and museum west of Boston hosts some 60 works of modern and contemporary art. The collection, displayed amid the lawns, gardens, forests and fields alongside Flint’s Pond, include collection works, loaned pieces and site-specific installations.
Raymond S. Mansfield Jr.
No. 4: Brookgreen Gardens - Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Founded in 1931, the 300-acre Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is part sculpture garden, part wildlife sanctuary occupying the site of four former rice plantations. The National Historic Landmark houses one of the best figurative sculpture collections in the world.
No. 4: Brookgreen Gardens - Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Founded in 1931, the 300-acre Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is part sculpture garden, part wildlife sanctuary occupying the site of four former rice plantations. The National Historic Landmark houses one of the best figurative sculpture collections in the world.
Lydia Schrandt
No. 3: Michigan Legacy Art Park - Thompsonville, Michigan. This 30-acre wooded preserve in northern Michigan features a collection of more than fifty sculptures, as well as rotating exhibits. The park hosts drop-in programs for both adults and kids to encourage connection with art, nature and history.
No. 3: Michigan Legacy Art Park - Thompsonville, Michigan. This 30-acre wooded preserve in northern Michigan features a collection of more than fifty sculptures, as well as rotating exhibits. The park hosts drop-in programs for both adults and kids to encourage connection with art, nature and history.
Michigan Legacy Art Park
No. 2: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park - Grand Rapids, Michigan. Spanning 158 acres in Grand Rapids, the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park features four-seasons outdoor gardens and a five-floor, 15,000-square-foot Tropical Conservatory. The permanent sculpture collection features almost 300 works, many of which are displayed across the 30-acre sculpture park.
No. 2: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park - Grand Rapids, Michigan. Spanning 158 acres in Grand Rapids, the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park features four-seasons outdoor gardens and a five-floor, 15,000-square-foot Tropical Conservatory. The permanent sculpture collection features almost 300 works, many of which are displayed across the 30-acre sculpture park.
William J Hebert / Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
No. 1: Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park - University Park, Illinois. This sculpture park at Governors State University in Chicago ’ s Southland features a collection of 30 large-scale sculptures displayed across 100 acres of prairie landscape. The free outdoor museum also hosts programs to help connect visitors with art and nature in a more meaningful way.
No. 1: Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park - University Park, Illinois. This sculpture park at Governors State University in Chicago’s Southland features a collection of 30 large-scale sculptures displayed across 100 acres of prairie landscape. The free outdoor museum also hosts programs to help connect visitors with art and nature in a more meaningful way.
Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park
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