Sunset Hills, MO
Free admission and free parking
http://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org/
There are three hiking trails.
The park was founded in 1968 and opened in 1975. In 1976 local sculptor Ernest Trova donated about forty of his works and thus the beginning of the sculpture "museum."
The original country house of Matilda and Henry Laumeier remains today serving as the Kranzberg Education Lab.
Perhaps the best known sculpture in the park is The Way, consisting of 18 salvaged steel oil tanks. This tremendously large sculpture sits in the middle of the park and often is the sculpture you see representing the park. It was made by Alexander Liberman in 1972-1980 and was composed on site. It stands 65 feet high.
Below is a typical example of many of the sculpture explanations. On top you see a model of the sculpture and below information about the sculpture, its history, and the artist, On the left is the information in Braille.
The Way is just one of many sculptures in the park made of steel. Below Barnibus was made of steel by American Mark di Suvero in 1985-1987.
The four sculptures below are all constructed of COR-TEN steel, which forms a rust-like appearance. Java was built by English sculptor Anthony Caro in 1976.
Knots was made by Canadian Casimo Cavaliaro in 1996.
Alpha was made by American Beverly Pepper in 1974.
Crete was made by American Charles Ginnever in 1976-78.
This next steel piece is by Ernest Trova and is one of several Trova's at Laumeier. It is a contrast to the COR-TEN steel pieces in that it is made of stainless steel. Part of Trova's Falling Man series, it was made in 1984 and is called Falling Man/Study (Wrapped Manscape Figure).
Trova's Falling Man, 1965, is made not of steel but of bronze with black nickel patina. It is armless, pot-bellied, and faceless.
La Libellule is constructed of patinated bronze and gold leaf on steel. It was made in 1996 by Frenchman Armand P. Fernandez.
A different metal used by American Robert Morris is aluminum. His piece Untitled, 1968-69, consists of ten I-beams stacked in two layers.
Although there is steel in this piece, it is only used as reinforcements. What you see is concrete. Missouri-born Donald Judd created Untitled in 1984.
Another concrete and steel sculpture is Ada's Will, 1990, by American Jene Highstein.
Another concrete sculpture is Face of the Earth #3 by American Vito Acconi, made in 1988.
There are many other media used by the various sculptors whose pieces are on display at Laumeier. In 1981 American Jackie Ferrara created this piece out of wood and bolts for Laumeier thus it is titled Laumeier Project. Natural light shines between the beams and inside the structure.
This piece, Man with Briefcase at #2968443, 1986, was made with epoxy enamel on fiberglass by American Jonathan Borofsky.
American Terry Allen is perhaps best known as a country music singer but is also a painter and a conceptual artist. Laumeier, U-ME-UM, 1998, is made of neon light in a Plexiglas case and is mounted on the Kranzberg Education Lab Building.
Made in 2014, one of the newer pieces in the park is made of rubber and bronze. Earthmover was made by American Marie Watt.
Several displays are definitely works of nature. When we arrived at the park a wedding was taking place in the American Heartland Garden, 1992, by Judith Shae. The rose-filled garden is actually heart shaped and in the middle is Shae's statue, Public Goddess.
Another garden sculpture is Hortus Obscurus (The Dark Garden), 1997, by Frances Whitehead. In addition to plants, it includes limestone benches and an iron border.
Beverly Pepper's second work at Laumeier is constructed with earth, sod, sandstone, and trees. Cromlech Glen, 1985–90, was inspired by a trip she made to Cambodia and includes an earthen amphitheater in the middle.
Below is the model and then the actual sculpture entitled Four Shades and "built" in 1994 by Ian Hamilton Finlay. It consists of elm, sycamore, pine, basswood, Kentucky bluegrass sod, and topsoil.
A number of works are constructed with multiple media including Ricardo Cat, 1999. French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle constructed the cat from urethane skin on steel, ceramic tile, stained glass, mirrors, stones in epoxy grout, and silicone grout, and it invites you to sit on the included bench.
The Space Between Scott and Plessy, 2013, by Canadian Ken Lum, uses cast bronze, wood, and mixed media to connect the cities of St. Louis and New Orleans with three-quarter busts of Dred Scott and Homer Plessy.
Canadian Dan Graham used reflective laminated glass, anodized aluminum, painted steel, and concrete to create Triangular Bridge Over Water, 1990.
Canadian Robert Lobe created The Palm at the End of the Parking Lot, 1995, with annealed hammered aluminum, stainless steel aluminum, and a dead walnut tree.
Only someone with an artistic eye, in this case Brazilian Alexander da Cunha, would think to paint a cement mixer placed on wooden blocks to create a sculpture. Mix (Americana) was created in 2013.
The park offers three hiking trials in addition to the Central Pathway through the center of the park. Art Hike Trail is .77 miles long. The hike is totally through the woods where you can enjoy nature at its best.
Forty of the trees on the trail are wrapped in stainless steel art in a display entitled If the World is a Fair Place Then.... This project was completed in 2015.
There are 12 sculptures on the hike including three previously highlighted: Laumeier Project, Triangular Bridge Over Water, and Cromlech Glen. Another piece that takes advantage of the surrounding woods is Without Words, A Reading Room, 1998 by American Harriet Bart.
The highlight of the hike might just be Pool Complex: Orchard Valley, 1983-1985. American artist Mary Miss began with an abandoned 1929 swimming pool.
Including ruins of an old family estate in her work, she created a site-specific sculpture with pavilions, staircases and platforms surrounding the pool.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their dogs on this trail and thus an entire section of the hike is dedicated to dogs. Finish artist Tea Mäkipää created Not Without My Dog, 2011, which includes five sculptures that highlight the senses dogs use to read their surroundings. One of the sculptures is Treasury of Smells.
The Dogs of USA is a village of five different homes representing human hierarchy and visually demonstrating how the hierarchy affects our canine friends.
A section of the park is dedicated to children. The Emerson Children's Sculpture Garden includes seven sculptures for children. Local artist Tom Huck created three bugs including Whisker the War Werm, 2014–15.
American Jessica Stockholder created Flooded Chambers Maid, 2009–10, which includes a stage and bleachers and lots of fun for children visiting the park.
A COR-TEN steel sculpture also appears in the children's garden. Donut No. 3, 2002 is a work of American Fletcher Benton.
Adjoining the children's garden are several structures including a building for the art camps held at Laumeier and a pavilion for picnicking.
In addition to the pavilion, the park includes several areas for picnicking such as this one in the children's garden.
The museum building is a recent addition to the park and is the Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center. There is one exhibit area in the museum.
This building houses changing exhibits. The current exhibit is by Indian artist Gigi Scaria and is titled Time. Outside the museum you are introduced to the exhibit with Woodhenge, 2016 which is made of cement and stands 192 inches tall.
The inside exhibit includes wooden sculptures and films. The Scaria exhibit will be on display for four months.
The park's gift shop is in the Fine Arts Center.
The park includes an amphitheater where throughout the years concerts have been held. There is a permanent stage at the bottom of the grassy hill.
As we were leaving we were reminded that sculpture is everywhere in the park including over our parked cars! American T. Kelly Mason titled his work Laumeier Lamps, 2011. It includes an electronic LED display right before nightfall.
Just .5 mile away is the local restaurant Helen Fitzgerald's, which is definitely very popular for lunch. Fortunately it has a lot of seating inside and out. The restaurant has a large varied menu but we all chose the great salads. This Cobb Salad included mandarin oranges! Yummy!
Comments:
This park is definitely a contemporary art museum. The oldest sculptures date only from the early 1970's. That being said, I think that the idea of contemporary art scares away a lot of people from visiting this museum. That is such a shame because it is an interesting and fun place to explore.
I had great difficulty following many of the explanations of the sculptures and in understanding what the meaning is of many of the pieces. However, I still enjoyed viewing them in the perspective that the art was something out of my ordinary.
The park itself is nicely laid out. We especially enjoyed the Art Hike Trail and highly recommend taking the time to hike it - about 45 minutes. Good walking shoes are advised. The woods were delightful and it was such fun to come to a clearing with a surprise exhibit!
One could probably walk the main part of the park and view the majority of the sculptures in one hour. The museum building is very small - one large room - and depending on the current special exhibit it would not take much time to see all.
Take time to view the calendar on their webpage as they offer several social and art functions. The Annual Art Fair in early May is a huge three-day event. The park is also a fun place to picnic and young children love the outdoor atmosphere.
Half of our group of six had never been to Laumeier and they were all glad that they finally experienced the park.
