BEGIN AGAIN: 50 YEARS AND COUNTING
Curated By Dana Turkovic
February 7 – December 13, 2026 | Aronson Fine Arts Center
Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting marks Laumeier’s 50th anniversary by celebrating five decades of artist commissions and exhibitions. Featuring hundreds of artists and rarely seen works from Laumeier’s collection, the exhibition highlights the Park’s unique position at the intersection of public art and the natural world.
Centering on artworks that have come and gone and proposals that were never fully realized, the exhibition embraces change and impermanence, emphasizing sculpture and sculpture parks are dynamic and ephemeral rather than fixed and unchanging. It also honors the many artists and commissions Laumeier has supported, showcasing its long-standing and evolving relationship with artists and the natural environment, while also acknowledging the complexity of curating public artworks in an outdoor setting.
Featuring materials drawn from Laumeier’s collections and archives, Begin Again presents rarely seen drawings, sketches, studies, photographs, sculptural models, and maquettes that illuminate the creative processes. Audio and video elements further amplify artists’ voices and insights. Arranged chronologically by decade, the exhibition invites visitors to move metaphorically through time, wandering through the Park’s history.
Over 50 years, Laumeier has supported more than 1,000 artists, including many women and artists of color at various stages of their careers. This presentation celebrates the remarkably diverse group who have shaped Laumeier, reflecting a sustained commitment to a broad range of voices and perspectives.
DISCOVER THE STORIES BEHIND THESE IMAGES
Visit Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting to learn more!
HEADER PHOTO: 50 Years and Counting Exhibition, 2026. Color photograph by Wil Driscoll.
PHOTO GALLERY, FROM TOP LEFT TO BOTTOM LEFT: Susan Croweder, Formal Garden, Study for Hedges, 1992. Charcoal on paper. Laumeier Sculpture Park Collection. | Cildo Meireles, Proposal Drawing for Two Trees, 1995. Colored pencil on paper. Laumeier Sculpture Park Collection. | Andy Goldsworthy installing Laumeier Cairn, 1994. Laumeier Sculpture Park Photo Archive. | Alice Aycock, Hundred Small Rooms, 1984. Black and white photograph. Laumeier Sculpture Park Collection. | Meg Webster, Proposal Drawing for Pass, 1991. Graphite and colored pencil on tracing paper. Laumeier Sculpture Park Collection. | Ernest Trova. Photo of the artist in his studio, ca. 1977. Black and white photograph. Laumeier Sculpture Park Collection. | Bernard Williams, Empire Flight, 2013 (de-installed 2014). Color photograph. Laumeier Sculpture Park Commission, photo archive. | Artist Ursula von Rydingsvard pictured with Untitled, 1989. Color photograph. Laumeier Sculpture Park Photo Archive.
“This exhibition is filled with the wonderful world of Laumeier, packed with the history of the artists and their ideas that we have had the pleasure to work with in our 50 years. The Park has been a place to share creativity in all its forms with our community. In reviewing our five decades so closely, I see the cumulative impact that our exhibitions and programs have had to our visitors. While this exhibition focuses on pieces we can longer experience, it demonstrates how the meeting of sculpture and nature creates a lasting bond between organization, our visitors, and the environment. – Dana Turkovic, Curator”
2026 Exhibitions are supported by Whitaker Foundation, Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, Joan and Mitchell Markow and Two Sister’s Foundation, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, and Mary Ann and Andy Srenco.
Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting is supported by Terra Foundation for American Art and Henry Luce Foundation.
