Burlington's Beloved Sculpture Park is Now a Sculpture Walk

Visitors looking for the former site of Burlington's Sculpture Park this fall will instead come up on an empty field. But, while the sculpture collection has taken on a new form, it hasn't disappeared altogether.

The sculptures – 14 total, including three sculptural benches – were moved this summer ahead of the much-anticipated groundbreaking on the new police station, which is expected before the end of the year.

The police station's property isn't quite large enough to fit the new station and associated parking, and Town Meeting in May 2024 voted to rezone the property where the Sculpture Park sits so the building team can use a portion of it (and, at the end of the project, restore the rest to its former zoning).

In the meantime, the sculptures needed a new home, if only temporarily.

In thinking about what to do with the art, the Public Arts Committee met with the Select Board and the Recreation Department to determine the best solution. Most everyone agreed that a "Sculpture Walk" along the Town Common and the municipal campus across the street would be the best way to display the pieces.

Two works – Havoc the dog and Follow Your Heart – were already located at the corner of Center and Bedford Streets, and the rest of the pieces were spread out so walkers strolling through the Common or visiting municipal buildings can take them in.

This creates a different feel, said Public Arts Commitee Chair, Barbara L'Heureux – a positive one, she thinks. "I'm actually even more happy with how they look than I expected to be. Now that I see them in place, they just seem to fit. The scale is right for the Common." Plus, rather than having the art tucked in a corner, spreading it out makes it more interactive and easier to contemplate.

The Public Arts Committee will be hosting a party on September 20 for kids and families to welcome the sculptures on the Town Common to their new locations. Join them for free refreshments, balloon art, face painting, and a singalong with Burlington-based singer-songwriter and artist Jonathan Sachs, who pioneered the idea of the Sculpture Park prior to its 2020 opening.

While this solution is intended to be temporary, L'Heureux and the resident's she's spoken to wouldn't mind making the Sulpture Walk permanent. "So far we've received very very positive feedback," she said, "so it's my hope that over the next two years that the people of Burlington will grow to appreciate the sculptures on the Common and perhaps the Select Board will decide to let them stay." If not, they groups will need to work together and find a different solution.

For now, the sculptures will stay put for the next 24 months. You can find a map of the new locations and more news on the Burlington Sculpture Park website (below the images of the sculptures).