The Laumeier Sculpture Park – Saint Louis, Missouri

Originally this was posted on my previous blog while on vacation, September 20, 2017 – I am sitting here in our wonderful little Airbnb place near Cherokee Row, St. Louis, and looking at pictures I took at the Missouri Botanical Gardens while Gene takes an afternoon nap. We have been to St. Louis a few times, but never make it to the gardens.  It was wonderful to finally check it out. However, one of the most interesting things we have done up to this point is the Laumeier Sculpture Park. 

According to their site, the park, which opened on July 7, 1976, is 105-acres, houses over 60 outdoor sculptures, and features 1.4-miles of walking trails. It is HUGE but beautiful. There is also an indoor gallery and an 1816 Tudorstone mansion. This was the former residence of Henry and Matilda Laumeier (above).

We have our dogs with us and thought this would be a great thing to do with them to give them a little chance to run around and have some fun too. So glad we brought them along, as they did seem to have a nice time. If you are into hiking, here are three walking trails you can take within the park:

Art Hike Trail: 0.77 miles / 45 minutes
Central Pathway: 0.64 miles / 25 minutes
Western Woodland Trail: 0.15 miles / 10 minutes

The first thing you can’t help but notice when we parked and made our way into the park is the huge eye sculpture. I was not surprised to find out it is called The Eye. It was done by Tony Tasset in 2007. Modeled after Tasset’s own eye, the never blinking, constantly conscious piece, watches over Laumeier day and night. It is quite interesting.

The other thing that caught my eye, ha-ha, was what is called The Way. It was created by Alexander Liberman and consists of eighteen salvaged steel oil tanks. This monument dominates the field and represents classic Greek temples and Gothic-style cathedrals. Liberman was Russian and the sculpture is painted Cadmium red for its symbolic qualities, as well as representing beauty in the Russian culture. It is a truly amazing piece of art.

While walking around Laumeier Sculpture Park, we both saw many sculptures that we liked. The piece that Gene really liked was Crete by Charles Ginnever. There wasn’t much info on it, but it did look pretty cool. You can see how big it is by how little I look, lol. I also liked a piece called Bornibus. A steel monument created by Mark Di Suvero, that I thought it was very interesting.

Another piece that we both thought was pretty neat was merely called Deer. Created by Tony Tasset, she is composed as a nervous and pensive monumental fawn ready to make her move. He explains Deer as a work that represents the highest conceptual ambitions with a delightful popular twist. She is quite tall as you can see in the picture below of Gene and the girls.

There we so many amazing pieces and I took a ton of pictures as we walked around Laumeier Sculpture Park. Too many to share here on one blog post. However, I have created a video with a bunch of pictures throughout the park. I hope you enjoy it as well as this post. Free free to comment or ask questions. We all had a great time. Here is a link to their website with more information, hours, locations, etc. It is a great place to roam around with kids and dogs. So glad we were able to visit.

Laumeier Sculpture Park Visitor Information

Address:

12580 Rott Road
Saint Louis, Missouri 63127

Phone:

314.615.5278

Hours:

8 a.m. until 30 minutes past sunset

Directions:

Laumeier is located near I-270 and I-44, 16 miles and 20 minutes from the Gateway Arch. From I-44 Eastbound or Westbound, exit at Lindbergh Boulevard (Exit 277B), drive 0.5 miles south to Rott Road (turn right) and proceed 0.5 miles west to the Park’s Main Entrance.

Accessibility

Laumeier’s public restrooms are wheelchair accessible, as are some pathways. Vehicles are only allowed in the parking lots; please do not drive on walking paths. The trails are for pedestrian use only.

Wheelchairs are available to rent for use on the park grounds, but requests should be made in advance. On the day of your visit, you must sign our wheelchair use waiver and complete the wheelchair check-out form with a member of the Laumeier staff. You must also present a valid Driver’s License or State ID, which will be held securely during your visit and returned once the wheelchair is checked back in with a Laumeier staff member.

In 2009, Laumeier partnered with Lighthouse for the Blind-St. Louis to develop a series of bronze maquettes (cast scale models) for several artworks in the Permanent Collection, including a topographic orientation map of the Park, to help visitors with sight impairments navigate and enjoy the artworks in the outdoor galleries.

Rules:

Dogs Welcome

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor galleries at Laumeier, but they must be leashed at all times and picked up after by owners. Dogs are not allowed during some special events. Service animals may accompany people with disabilities in all public areas of the Park.

No Climbing

Even though Laumeier’s artworks are outdoors and subject to the elements, physical contact can still cause irreparable damage, making it difficult to preserve them for future generations. Please do not climb on any artworks, unless otherwise noted on the sculpture’s object label.

Artworks must sometimes be removed from view due to inappropriate public interaction, including climbing; graffiti; carving or scratching on sculptures; and general destructive activities. Please help take care of the Collection; if you see anyone interacting with an artwork inappropriately, contact the Park Rangers at 314.615.8911.