The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's Margaret Woodson Fisher Sculpture Gallery is an elegantly landscaped 1.5 acre garden in which meandering brick pathways create organic-shaped islands for the presentation of sculpture. The garden is enclosed with a wrought iron-style fence anchored by brick pilasters. A covered arbor offers shaded seating as do benches throughout the garden.

Since opening the sculpture garden in 1995, the Museum has presented a series of temporary exhibitions in this space. On view through October 2005 is Patrick Dougherty's "Putting Two and Two Together," a towering, twisting, and tilting work made from roughly 2,500 maple and willow saplings. Constructed over three-weeks in June 2004, the four tepee-like shapes resemble the blue spruce trees found throughout the garden and stand in striking contrast to the green arborvitae hedge into which they are built. A winding path through the structure gives the piece an overall playfulness.

In the garden and scattered throughout the grounds are works from the Museum's permanent collection that emphasize the Woodson's interest in art of the natural world, particularly birds. Kent Ullberg's monumental sculpture, Rites of Spring, greets Museum visitors just outside the garden entrance while Deborah Butterfield's life-sized bronze, Kua, welcomes them to the garden proper. Other artists represented in the outdoor collection, whose work ranges from historic to contemporary, are Rosetta, Tony Angell, Robert Refvem, Edith Barretto Parsons, Kenneth Bunn, Burt Brent, Tony Angell, Steve Kestrel, Chapel, Bart Walter, and Shari Salari Sander. Ullberg is represented with a total of three bronzes.

The Sculpture Gallery also hosts a popular summertime Concerts in the Garden series and OctoBIRDfest each fall as well as education programs spring through autumn.

Both the Sculpture Gallery and Museum are open free of charge T-F 9 am-4 pm; Sat-Sun noon-5 pm. Closed Mondays and holidays.

Driving directions are available on the Museum's web site or by calling the Museum. Free parking adjacent to the sculpture garden. Docent led tours can be arranged by calling.

Deborah Butterfield

Patrick Daugherty

Rosetta

Kent Ullberg