Kentucky’s first sculpture park celebrates 15 years of operation with second annual event
Kentucky’s first sculpture park is turning 15.
Josephine Sculpture Park opened in Frankfort in 2009 with 16 sculptures displayed on 10 acres of land. Today, there are over 70 artworks along two miles of walking trail in the 40-acre park.
“It’s like a three-legged stool where each leg is independently as important as the other — and that’s art, the environment and the community,” said co-founder Melanie VanHouten. “We really hope that the work that we do here brings people together, not just physically, but it allows people to experience different perspectives from their own.”
The park sits on what used to be VanHouten’s grandparents’ farm, and it’s named for her grandmother, Josephine. Open every day of the year, from dawn to dusk, the park is free to the public.
A sculpture park is just as it sounds — a park with sculptures on the grounds. At Josephine Sculpture Park, visitors can see art from world-renowned sculptors, and smaller, up-and-coming artists. Materials range anywhere from dirt and leaves to cold, hard metal.
VanHouten grew up watching her dad build homes, and she took an interest in transforming things. She studied art in college, eventually becoming a sculpting teacher. But she always longed to be back on her family’s land.
She visited her first sculpture park while in graduate school at the University of Minnesota, and inspiration struck. She and her husband, BJ DuVall, moved back home and got to work prepping the family land.
“Growing up on this land was really transformative, and it impacted me in a way that is subtle and profound. When you have these real experiences outside in the natural world, that impacts your core values and it changes who you are,” she said.
Although it hasn’t been farmed in decades, VanHouten and Duvall are working to restore the natural wildlife habitats that would have been found on the farm years ago. They want to balance the natural world with fine art, for everyone to enjoy.
On Sunday, Dec. 8, the park will host the second annual “Joy Full: Gratitude Gathering,” an event to thank the community for supporting the park. Joking that the park “is very much outside,” VanHouten reminded attendees to dress warm.
Everyone is welcome, even pets, at the free event, which will feature a fiber arts activity, bonfires, music, fire performers, food and a night sky exploration guided by a NASA Solar System Ambassador.
Eager to spread her love of the arts and continue her family’s legacy, VanHouten said she owes everything to her community and hopes to inspire the next generation of artists.
“The park enabled me to bring art, particularly sculpture, an art form that I love and am personally connected to, to my home place,” she said.
“Growing up here, I never imagined that I could grow up and be a sculptor, because I just didn’t know anybody who did that,” she said. “To be able to bring that possibility home for other creative kids maybe that is their gift, and maybe that is the direction they should take to change the world.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM.