The Horse of Inspiration sculpted by Amgalan Tsvegmid at the Andres Institute of Art.
Photo Credit : Courtesy of the Andres Institute of Art
In “A Breath of Fresh Air” (season 4, episode 11), Weekends with Yankee heads to Brookline, New Hampshire, for a tour of New England’s largest outdoor sculpture park, the Andres Institute of Art. Sculpture parks offer a wonderful opportunity to experience art and nature simultaneously. Read on for a list of noteworthy outdoor sculpture parks in New England.The Horse of Inspiration sculpted by Amgalan Tsvegmid at the Andres Institute of Art. Photo Credit : Courtesy of the Andres Institute of Art
Art and nature cohabitate beautifully on Big Bear Mountain at this 140-acre outdoor sculpture garden featuring more than 80 stone and metal artworks from around the world. A dozen trails lead visitors past sculptures such as Contempo Rustic, a couch fashioned from slabs of rock and metal, and Mbari House, a house-shaped granite and metal totem to peace and friendship.
With 30 acres of beautifully rolling landscape, the DeCordova focuses on its sculpture park more than its museum (though there’s always a fascinating show on display). Given the large scale of so many pieces of contemporary sculpture, the great outdoors makes an ideal setting. Bring a picnic, or visit the café.
Run by the Preservation Society of Newport County (which also owns the famous Newport Mansions), this charming seasonal seven-acre garden features California privet, yew, and English boxwood shaped into animals and birds, geometric figures, and ornamental designs. Where else can you spot an elephant, a peacock, a reindeer, and even a unicorn in one afternoon?
Spending the day in the Vermont capital? Next door to the Capital Region Visitors Center you’ll find rotating two-year exhibits of contemporary sculptures created by Vermont artists. In the summer, picnic tables on the grass just beyond the pathway make it even easier to linger.
Quiet benches make the perfect resting spot from which enjoy this extensive collection of modern and contemporary sculptures positioned among blooming flowers and shade gardens on a three-acre seaside spread.
In western Massachusetts, you can step back into childhood at the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, which opened in 2017 to celebrate native son Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss). The famed children’s book author is also memorialized outside in the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in a series of bronze sculptures carved by his stepdaughter, Lark Grey Dimond-Cates.The museum is wonderful, but parents may be happy to learn that posing with characters like the Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle, Horton the Elephant, and the Grinch is free.
Located next door to the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in the historic district of Old Lyme, this unique outdoor sculpture park features more than 100 works of art inspired by nature. These four and a half acres are also home to the personal workspace of artist Gilbert Boro, whose creations are extensively featured.
