Who says you can only enjoy beautiful artwork within the walls of a museum? If you want an experience that blends the natural world with human made-artistic works, look no further than our curated list of outdoor art offerings below.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Museum of art is an absolute must see for visitors to the Raleigh area. Apart from the outstanding works housed inside the museum, the campus also includes the country’s largest art park with 164 acres of trails and monumental public art installations.
The Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park connects art, nature, and people to encourage creative experiences and human interactions. It features temporary and permanent public art installations by international artists, environmentally sustainable landscapes, colorful and contemporary gardens, miles of recreational trails, and a terraced pond. Choose your own adventure in the Park: Step inside a cloud chamber. Picnic near the iconic trio of Gyre rings or relax on the Ellipse lawn. Bike and jog along the Capital Area Greenway and wooded trails. Discover points of interest on trailside signs with information on art and the history of the museum and participate in recreational programs and performing arts. This is a great opportunity to experience beautiful art in a socially distant and responsible way.
Arizona
SculptureTucson, a Tucson non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing Arizona’s cultural landscape through the placement of sculpture in public spaces; establishing a public sculpture park; and becoming a resource for diverse artists and art collectors, just opened a new sculpture park. Large-scale works will be on exhibit from Saturday, February 13th through Sunday, July 4th, 2021 throughout the park’s sprawling two acres adjacent to the organization’s headquarters at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park located at 3420 East River Road.
All sculptures on display are available for sale by artist. Many of the artists have also participated in SculptureTucson’s Sculpture on the Street program, which partners with Tucson businesses to place large-scale art along highly trafficked roads and in outdoor public venues for all to enjoy while driving through town.
SculptureTucson is currently adding to the list of artists exhibiting their works in the inaugural Sculpture Park exhibition. For updates or to learn more about the organization and it events, visit https://sculpturetucson.org/sculpture-park/
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is well known for it’s rugged and beautiful wilderness, but you may never have considered the landscape for its artistic possibilities. But combining this scenic natural beauty with quality man made art is exactly what the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline has set out to do.
In 1996, engineer and innovator Paul Andres purchased Big Bear Mountain in Brookline, New Hampshire and moved into the house near the top of the mountain. Based on his lifelong love of nature and passion for art, Paul decided to purchase sculptures to place in the natural setting surrounding his new home. Coincidentally master sculpture John M. Weidman had been living in the area for some time and he and Paul began working together to make plans for adding sculptures to the mountain. In 1998 they co-founded the Andres Institute of Art. Through a collective effort with other gifted artists, the park now has 80+ thought provoking original works of art, nestled along walking trails, all over the mountain and in the 140-acre sculpture park. The park contains miles of wooded trails, beautiful vistas and peaceful settings.
The grounds at Andres Institute of Art are open to the public year-round free of charge
Maryland
There’s plenty of amazing art experiences to enjoy outside the city of Baltimore. In Potomac, don’t miss the Glenstone Museum. Guided by the personal vision of its founders, Glenstone assembles post-World War II artworks of the highest quality that trace the greatest historical shifts in the way we experience and understand art of the 20th and 21st centuries. These works are presented in a series of refined indoor and outdoor spaces designed to facilitate meaningful encounters for their visitors.
The museum is a tribute to art, nature and architecture working together. Glenstone offers nearly 300 acres of landscape fully integrated with the architecture and art. The Gallery hosts changing exhibitions in generously proportioned spaces and opens up to a terrace overlooking a pond. The landscape around the gallery also includes several distinct aquatic ecosystems including the Greenbriar Branch stream, a large pond and a smaller lily pond situated along the Bridle Trail. You’ll also find paths, trails, meadows, forests, and outdoor sculptures throughout the grounds.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Looking for a unique only-in Vegas outdoor activity? Check out the Neon Museum for a glitz and glam blast from the past. The Neon Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. The Neon Museum campus includes the outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard, a collection of over 200 unrestored signs which are illuminated with ground lighting at sunset. Tours are available throughout the day and the evening.
The North Gallery (another outdoor area) sits adjacent to the Museum and showcases more unrestored signs from our collection. The gallery plays host to Brilliant!, an immersive sight and sound program which magically appears to make signs come to life. This space is available for weddings, receptions, educational programming, photo shoots and other special events.
Dedicated individuals from the private sector, as well as corporate and government entities, worked collaboratively to promote the preservation of these national treasures as significant pieces of artistic and historical importance. Each sign in The Neon Museum’s collection offers a unique story about the personalities who created it, what inspired it, where and when it was made, and the role it played in Las Vegas’ distinctive history.
