SCULPTURE GARDENS, LOVELAND

  As if the surrounding mountains are not enough to feast your eyes upon, there are two beautifully done sculpture gardens in the town of Loveland.   A visit to either garden makes a very enjoyable afternoon.  It's lovely to stroll around  viewing the art and gardens while enjoying the fresh mountain air.  Much better than a stuffy museum (and much more likely to be visited -- by us, at least.)

The nationally famous Benson Sculpture Garden Park is centrally located in the older part of the city.   Every year, Loveland has a juried exhibition when the city buys new sculptures for the park and to place elsewhere throughout the city.    There are well over 100 sculptures in the park.  Most are bronze, but there a few in other mediums. Most are quite naturally located in the large park, so that it is as if you were just stumbling upon this farmer coming in from the potato field or children playing or whatever the various sculptures depict.  We visit this park each time we're in Loveland, looking for new additions and checking on our old favorites.  Click on this link to see a few more of our favorites:  (click on the first picture to start the slideshow) .  Some of the sculptures in the park are more contemporary or abstract in design.  Those are also fun to look at, but our favorites remain the more traditional.   

http://travelingrainvilles.typepad.com/photos/loveland_sculpture_park/

 

The Chapungu Sculpture Park is newer.  This garden is at the edge of town, near a new and "upscale" shopping center.  The park was built and the sculptures purchased by the shopping center developer and (as far as we could figure out) it is managed jointly by the development corporation and the city.  This park has contemporary fine art by Zimbabwean sculptors.  Telling stories through carvings is a tradition in that country.  The landscaping in this newer garden is more natural grassland, which I imagine is rather like that of the sculptors' homeland. 

This was the first time we'd visited this park.  Some members of one sculpting family were working in the park when we were there.  It's always fun to watch experts at work.

The captions on the photos in this album are taken directly from the carvings.  They made it seem like you were hearing the sculptor talk to you about the work.

http://travelingrainvilles.typepad.com/photos/sculpture/index.html

Comments

[Belle Styler]

Those statues are great accent to the park. They provide a very welcoming and fun aura to the area. I'd love to got there and relax while immersing myself in art.

[Jordan Hydro]

I suppoes, Sunny spring afternoon, garden stone bench is a good place to study.