As part of its 35^th anniversary celebration, Laumeier launched a Friends & Neighbors initiative to reconnect with the folks whose affinity with art and parks bring them here, sometimes every day! Artist Kim Yasuda has taken further our embededness in the heart of Sunset Hills with her project Hunt + Gather for our summer show Camp Out: Finding Home in an Unstable World, opening June 2, 5pm for the general public (4-5pm member's preview). Yasuda’s project includes a community garden and four chickens to celebrate home and place. Stay tuned for food-related activities.

As part of Kim’s project, I am going door-to-door with Sunset Hills resident Laura Davidson on Saturday, May 5, 10 am – 1 pm to talk to you about your relationship to Laumeier. We know many neighbors used to swim in the Hedenkamp’s pool, now part of Laumeier—was that you? Please look for us and share your stories!

We are also looking back to those neighbors who have supported us for decades. Our docent corps is conducting an oral history project to capture their experiences with artists, curators and our public. I recently met Washington University art student Katharine Perniciaro, who wrote this to me:

"Laumeier remains magical for me, signifying the intersection of home and art. Purchased pieces of furniture, vases, garden décor from the annual Art Fair are scattered around my parent’s home as reminders of every Mother’s Day. My earliest memory of Laumeier is going to sit with my older brother while he drew Alexander Liberman’s The Way for a junior high art class, while my other brother and mom took our dog on a walk through the park. It was the meeting ground over summer breaks when my friends and I returned home from college. It’s the first place I take visitors from out of town… Growing up, I was unaware that life could orbit around an art practice. As I’m about to finish my MFA at Wash U...I have no doubt this seed was planted long ago at Laumeier Sculpture Park. It stands as a model for how to integrate work into landscape, into the surrounding city, but most importantly into the lives of the audience that is drawn back time and time again."

Laumeier has an impact on your physical, cultural and social health—and it can even inspire in you your life’s calling—now that’s good for you!

Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki