Immerse Yourself in Outdoor Sculpture at DeCordova

In Lincoln, Massachusetts, sculpture enthusiasts and art lovers of all kinds will find a welcoming haven in 35 acres of rolling lawns and forests, populated by numerous large-scale, contemporary, outdoor sculptures by American artists. The DeCordova Sculpture Park, open every day of the year, is visited by more than 125,000 people each year. The park contains approximately 75 sculptures in its perpetually changing collection.

The estate of Julian and Elizabeth Dana DeCordova originally consisted of 22 acres of heavily wooded land. A winding drive led down the long stretch of land from Sandy Pond Road, passing a barn and a large carriage house before arriving at a brick mansion that had been built in the early 20th century atop the highest spot of the property, with a view overlooking Flint's Pond. When Julian DeCordova died in 1945, he left behind a bequest that the property be converted to the DeCordova and Dana Museum and Park, which was established in 1948 and opened to the public in 1950.

The property's original carriage house has now become a regular part of the museum, housing classrooms, art studios, and administrative offices of the DeCordova Museum School. The mansion, sometimes called "the castle," has been developed into galleries containing museum-quality modern and contemporary art by American artists. After the founding of the DeCordova Museum, additional property was acquired, parts of the land were cleared, and several sculptures were placed outside with the intent of complementing exhibits being viewed inside the galleries. The outdoor sculptures became popular, and throughout the 1960s DeCordova presented several outdoor sculpture exhibits designed to introduce museum visitors to the new directions being taken by large-scale sculptors of Modernist art. In 1985, the museum established a curatorial program to provide for a rotating exhibition of contemporary outdoor sculpture by American artists. The success of this permanent, ongoing program was publicly acknowledged when the museum's name was officially changed to the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park.

There are three tiers of exhibitions on the 35-acre park. The first tier contains a permanent collection of outdoor sculpture, which primarily includes 20th-century pieces by artists of historical significance such as Alexander Liberman and George Rickey. The second tier is the largest collection in the Sculpture Park, consisting of large-scale sculptures that have been borrowed from dealers, artists, and private art collectors. These works, approximately 8 to 10 sculptures, are rotated in and out of the park each year in consultation with the artists when possible. The last tier of the park includes site-specific long-term temporary outdoor sculptures and artistic installations that have been designed for specific parts of the park. These works, maintained for approximately 1 to 5 years, are selected by museum curators and funded via outside grants.

The Sculpture Park is an important recreational venue for the town of Lincoln and the nearby suburbs of Boston. In addition to viewing the sculptures, park visitors can treat themselves to jogging, hiking trails, bicycling, walking dogs, having picnics, birding, cross-country skiing, and many other outdoor activities. The DeCordova Sculpture Park is one of the few similar parks in the world that maintains a perpetually rotating program of works. All the sculptures in the park are documented in detail in the DeCordova Sculpture Park Map and Guide, which is updated regularly and is available online at the museum's website.