Benson Sculpture Garden, Loveland, CO
August 12-14
Jane DeDecker, Forest for the Trees, bronze, h25.
It’s not every day you see a gigantic banana on roller skates, but it’s an undeniably good day. It means you’re at the picturesque Benson Sculpture Garden in Loveland, CO, strolling among the 178 permanent sculptures on the 10-acre grounds. And if you’ve timed your visit just right, you’re on-site for the largest outdoor juried sculpture show in the country.
- Crystal Lockwood, Soul Journey, wood, h60.
- Zeke Derderian, The Watcher, metal, h48.
- Doug Schneiter, Broken Hearts, wood, h18.
The 38th annual Sculpture in the Park Show and Sale, held from Friday, August 12, to Sunday, August 14, features more than 2,000 available-for-purchase sculptures created by 160 national and international artists. The three-dimensional art—ranging in style from whimsical to lifelike and in size from miniature to larger than life—is rendered in a variety of materials, including bronze, wood, stone, ceramic, glass, metal, and more.
- Domenico Belli, Open Sky, the Series, stone, h12 feet.
- Randy Hamilton, Escarpment, metal, h22.
- Randal Leek, Gentle Embrace, wood, h30.
“Because it is juried, Sculpture in the Park features top-notch artists and works that offer patrons the best of the best,” says Donna Visocky, executive director of the Loveland High Plains Arts Council that presents the event. Twenty new-to-the-show sculptors are on tap, among them Bill Bunting, Anne Shutan, and Monson Brown. They join favorites such as Lorri Acott, Angela Mia De la Vega, David Turner, and Jade Windell. Also back after a short hiatus is Jane DeDecker, USA TODAY’s 2022 Colorado Woman of the Year. The popular sculptor and women’s history enthusiast has been integral to the efforts for a national women’s suffrage monument in Washington, DC. “Returning artists bring at least 75 percent new or recently produced works, which ensures that the show is fresh and ever evolving,” Visocky notes.
- Tom Bloyd, Meditation Series: Mindful, metal, h48.
- Dennis Sohocki, Sail Away, stone, h27.
- Nick Leonoff, Biomorphic Portal #36, glass, h12.
Sculpture in the Park kicks off at 3 p.m. on Friday with a ticketed adults-only patron party. The show and sale opens to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Throughout the weekend, attendees can bid on selected sculptures at the silent auction tent or purchase maquette versions of many of the permanent sculpture garden pieces. Event proceeds fund garden sculpture purchases, capital improvements, and landscaping.
- Alex Chitura, Rhinoceros, bronze, h28.
- Jade Windell, Fluid, stone, h30.
- Lorri Acott, Ode to Childhood, bronze, h32.
“Sculpture in the Park is back to normal after Covid,” Visocky says enthusiastically, “and it’s bigger and better than ever.” —Beth Williams
contact information
970.663.2940
www.sculptureinthepark.org
This story appeared in the August/September 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.