Frankfort – Josephine Sculpture Park
It looks like any other family farm at first glance: a narrow gravel lane, fields of tall grass, a weathered barn, a farmhouse. But look closely.
Soon you’ll see the sculpture. It’s all around you, rising out of the meadow, along the ridgeline, keeping company with the trees. There are paintings, too: on sculpture, on sheds, alongside a large utility barn where a portrait of a young woman — the artist’s sister – sets concrete aglow with shades of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.
This is Josephine Sculpture Park, or JSP, a place not far off I-64 in Frankfort where the natural world meets human nature through sculpture, interactive artwork, painting, music, and education on 30 acres of rural landscape. Founder Melanie VanHouten created the park (the namesake of her grandmother, Josephine) on her family farm. In 2009 she began to invite the public to visit the park so that we can feel the same creative energy the space has always offered her.
Artists today come to this inspired landscape to build, paint, forge, and educate. Nature camps, skygazing, and a music festival have also become part of JSP’s mission in recent years, adding to the park’s popularity and impact.
Visit JSP
Visitors on any given day will find maintained trails that lead to nearly 70 artworks. Follow the online park map, or trek unguided for a bit more mystery. You can wander from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year, and never pay a cent for admission.
My recent visit to JSP was not my first, although there was incredible artwork throughout that I was able to experience for the first time:
Atonement
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Atonement (pictured as the featured image, above) is a mural on the side of the park’s large art barn that was created in 2018 by Kansas City-based artist and former JSP intern artist Zoe Green. It is a portrait of Green’s sibling Zora, who gazes from concrete block out into the meadowland. “Just a reminder that you are always loved, and I want you to know that you matter,” Green writes in the mural description.
Put a Ring on It
Painted resin combines with steel in Put a Ring on It, a 2015 sculpture by Jacksonville, FL.-based artist Ramona Harmes not far from the barn. The ring-shaped artwork incorporates the painted resin in the center like a gemstone.
Felix Culpa
There is also Felix Culpa, a steel rod-and-lace figure in shades of rust and light blue standing off a neatly-manicured trail. Florida-based artist Nicole Bovasso, who created the work in 2015, describes it like this: “Through the balance of growth and decay, such things gain meaning.”
Graphologyhenge
Collaboration is key in Graphologyhenge, a 2018 work-in-progress conceptualized by Minnesota-based artist Peyton Scott Russell. The circular art space is composed of eight slightly curved concrete walls that face a white tower of letters and typographical figures. Russell calls the space a “sanctuary and safe space for graffiti art,” inviting visitors to paint or leave a mark on the walls to continue the work’s transformation.
Me in Me Sanctuary
Me in Me Sanctuary is a 2019 tree art sculpture created by artist Lucy Azubuike. It encourages interaction and connection with nature through a “tree hunt” that begins at the park entrance where an array of electric poles (some inset with photos of trees) and a map are located. Visitors are encouraged to follow the hunt and find new ways to appreciate trees in their many forms.
Hive
Hive is a 2016 collaborative work lead by artists Faith Gelvin and Katya Crawford of New Mexico. It evolved from a community art project where participants painted and glazed individual ceramic tiles to create one work of art, or a “hive,” honoring the role of honeybees in our ecosystem.
Clarity Vehicle
Clarity Vehicle, installed at JSP by Lexington, Ky. artist Mollie Rabiner in 2003, was one of the park’s early works. The only description left by Rabiner for the steel and acrylic work is “peace” – a gift that always bring clarity to those able to experience it. I have seen this sculpture before, and it’s always a treat to experience it again.
If you go
All of the artwork can be located via the park map found on the park’s website along with a calendar of scheduled activities. While limited in-person programming has resumed at the park, some other in-person activities temporarily halted due to COVID-19 have gone virtual. This includes the park’s well-loved Night Sky Tour (fun fact: JSP is a partner of NASA’s Museum Alliance).
If you’d like to become a member of JSP to support its programming, you’ll find information about membership here. Directions to the park can be found here.
(Note: JSP provides accessibility accommodations. Trails are several feet wide to accommodate a golf cart that can be reserved ahead of time. Be sure to contact JSP in advance to reserve the golf cart or request additional accommodations and/or information.)
Now go forth. Enjoy your visit to JSP. I have a feeling that it won’t be your last. I might even see you there!
