Hogpen Hill Farms & 3 More Outdoor Art Experiences in New England

You could drive past the entrance to Hogpen Hill Farms in Woodbury, Connecticut, a thousand times and never guess that it held 234 wavy acres seeded with a crop found nowhere else on earth. Some specimens are more than 30 feet tall. They’re all the product of Edward Tufte’s fertile mind, skilled hands, and contemplative eyes.

Plant yourself beneath an 84-foot-long sculpture of a vintage Airstream, taillights aglow, held aloft on a beam so high that it appears poised to launch into the stratosphere. Marvel at massive rock compilations more intricate than Stonehenge. Wander through a bamboo maze. Or stand in stillness, mesmerized by the wind-nudged spinning of a 12-foot aluminum fish.

There was a time when Tufte opened his sculpture park only one day each year. In 2020, when so many of us yearned for outdoor experiences, he offered the property as refuge, and expanded access continues. But mystery remains about this year’s open dates, as well as Tufte’s plans to provide public access to these wondrous grounds in perpetuity. It’s ironic, considering the octogenarian former Yale professor is revered for his leading-edge work transforming data into something we can see.

To learn which summer and fall weekends you can visit, check Tufte’s website or subscribe for updates. The per-car admission is steep, though not when you share the expedition to the park with up to five other art lovers. We’d tell you more, but Tufte has posted a highway-style sign that cautions: Old words deform new seeing.  So go and see. As only you can. edwardtufte.com

3 More New England Outdoor Art Experiences

The Langlais Art Trail, Maine: From Kittery to Eastport and inland as far north as Dover-Foxcroft, plot a course to find as many of Bernard Langlais’s rustic wood sculptures as you can. Hint: There are more than a dozen at the Langlais Art Preserve in Cushing. langlaisarttrail.org

Lemon Fair Sculpture Park, Shoreham, VT: When heading out to view this park’s 50 large-scale sculptures, bring your checkbook—not because there’s an admission fee, but just in case you find one that would look excellent in your own backyard. lemonfairsculpturepark.com

“Many Cultures, One Heart,” Framingham, MA: In a city famous for a landmark study on heart health, find 32 painted heart sculptures and launch videos with QR codes to hear the diverse artists talk about their creative processes. framinghamcentrecommon.org/many-cultures-one-heart-2