Not all art is meant to be viewed within the confines of a gallery.
Some art is best observed in the wild — an urban streetscape, a picturesque hillside, along a forest trail. You don’t have to travel far in the Berkshires to find an outdoor sculpture show — there are quite a few within and just over the borders.
Travel north of Williamstown, into Vermont, and you’ll find the North Bennington Outdoor Sculpture Show, which places the sculpture of local and regional artists in public spaces. The longest-running outdoor sculpture show in Southern Vermont, it’s been proudly serving “Sculptures, Hot dogs & PBR since 1997.”
Take a trip west, into New York’s Columbia County, and you have the opportunity to visit Art Omi, a 120-acre sculpture and architecture park in Ghent, N.Y., where you can view more than 60 works of art.
In Hudson, N.Y., at Olana State Historic Site — the historic home and studio of artist Frederic Edwin Church — you can view “What’s Missing?,” June 14 through Nov. 2. The special exhibition features two site-specific outdoor artworks that respond to missing pieces of the 250-acre estate’s landscape history.
Robin Toast’s Brunilda is one of 25 sculptures on display as part of “Movement,” the latest installment of Sculpture at The Mount.
Don’t feel up to traveling so far? Not to worry, the summer brings plenty of outdoor sculpture to the Berkshires. Here are five outdoor sculpture shows we suggest checking out:
‘MOVEMENT’
Where: The Mount, Home of Edith Wharton, 2 Plunkett St., Lenox
Information: 413-551-5111, edithwharton.org
On View: Through Oct. 19
“Sculpture at The Mount” is the annual, juried exhibition of contemporary sculpture that extends across the 50 acres of forest, gardens and meadows of The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home, gardens and estate. This year’s exhibition, “Movement,” brings together kinetic sculptures alongside works exploring personal transformation, cultural shifts, the passage of time and the rhythms of nature. Free and open to the public.
‘SLEEPWALKERS’
Where: Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge
Information: 413-298-3926, berkshirebotanical.org
On view: June 6 through Aug. 11
Running in conjunction with “DayDream” at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, “Sleepwalkers” is a new outdoor exhibit by renowned sculptor Mark Mennin. Three monumental stone sculptures — each weighing more than 6,000 pounds — rest in the landscape like ancient relics crossed with soft clouds.
‘GLOBAL WARMING/GLOBAL WARNING’
Ann Jon, whose sculpture Refugee Shelter is seen here, is one of several artists participating in “Global Warming/Global Warning” at Chesterwood.
Where: Chesterwood, 4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge
Information: 413-298-3579, chesterwood.org
On view: June 7 through Oct. 31
The 47th annual outdoor sculpture show at Chesterwood explores how the natural and designed landscapes at Daniel Chester French’s estate are being impacted by global warming, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and the aging out of a mature forest. Curated by preservation engineer and restoration architect Michael Lynch, this year’s event features artists Kathleen Jacobs, Ann Jon, DeWitt Godfrey, Harold Grinspoon and Natalie Tyler.
Javier Senosiain’s sculpture Coata III is installed as part of the Clark Art Institute’s upcoming “Ground/work” exhibition.
‘GROUND/WORK 2025’
Where: Clark Art Institute, 225 South St., Williamstown
Information: 413-458-2303, clarkart.edu
On view: June 28 through Oct. 12, 2026
“Ground/work 2025” is the second group installation on the grounds of The Clark. This iteration, curated by independent art historian Glenn Adamson, features a dynamic range of works by international artists Yō Akiyama, Laura Ellen Bacon, Aboubakar Fofana, Hugh Hayden, Milena Naef and Javier Senosiain.
‘HIDDEN WORLDS AND WONDER’
Where: Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge
Information: 413-298-4100, nrm.org
On view: July 12 through Oct. 26
“Hidden Worlds and Wonder,” a juried outdoor sculpture exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum, runs in conjunction with “I Spy! Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders.” The selected sculptural works, on view throughout the museum’s 36-acre campus, are inspired by the individual artist’s imagination and the exhibition’s themes of seek-and-find miniature worlds, optical illusions and puzzle challenges.
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