Just outside of Frankfort, tucked away beyond the bustle of U.S. 127 and I-64 traffic, sits Kentucky’s only sculpture park. In 2009, Melanie VanHouten transformed her grandparents’ tobacco farm into Josephine Sculpture Park, a place for the public to explore art and nature together.
For visitors who have been before and those who return time after time, there is always something new to see. The park does not have a permanent “collection.” Art on exhibit changes by the season or year. Familiar pieces may go “home” to their artists or be purchased by collectors, and new artwork will take their place.
Other familiar things have changed over the years, with the park updating its logo, website, maps and signage. “All these changes highlight the creativity and talent of our staff, partners and artists. What you experience here—for free—is on par with what you can find in big-name parks or museums,” said Jill Malusky, marketing and communications manager.
VanHouten explained the personal touch behind the new logo: “It has the real ‘Josephine’ in it—my grandmother, who inspired me to create this place. The ‘JSP’ is from her signature.”
Nature and conservation are just as important as art, and visitors will see improvements to the landscape, along with new interpretive signage explaining these changes. In several locations, invasive species of plants are being removed and replaced with native species, restoring wildlife habitats and the health of the ecosystem. This hard work is undertaken by park staff and volunteers, along with local businesses such as Inside Out Landscape Design, and are supported by donors, including Richard and Anna Marie Rosen.
Invasive honeysuckle bushes that once surrounded the park’s amphitheater have been removed by volunteers and woven into sculptural “people nests” that can be explored by visitors. Pollinator-friendly trees and shrubs are being planted in their place.
Many of the park’s sculptures are not meant to be just seen; they are meant to be experienced. Climb inside Daniel Shieh’s “Sky Chamber,” “a secret space that takes visitors to a mystical place seemingly perched in the sky,” according to the artist.
Many of the park’s sculptures are meant to be touched or explored, and the signs noting each artwork’s name, artist and medium share this invitation. Peyton Scott Russell’s “GRAPHOLOGYHENGE” may be the best known for this. Any visitor is welcome to bring paint and make their mark on this graffiti sanctuary.
Representation is important to the staff and board of the park—from Kentucky artists to underrepresented communities. Artists in residence range from new and emerging artists to Guggenheim Fellows, TED speakers, and grant winners with exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art, Storm King Art Center and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Women and artists of color represent 55 percent of the works on exhibit and 65 percent of the resident artists at JSP. More than 1,000 artists from around the globe, representing 27 states and 15 countries, have exhibited and/or performed at JSP since its opening in 2009. The park also curates the Arts Downtown Exhibition in Frankfort’s business district, which features dozens of contemporary sculptures and murals.
The park’s existence as a nonprofit is made possible thanks to the steadfast support of volunteers, local businesses and donors. “I believe that my life’s work, my responsibility, is to create an enduring place that brings people together,” VanHouten said. “My desire is to help people feel more connected to each other and the natural world while they are at the park, so they can take those feelings with them as inspiration to make a difference in their lives as well.”