ART & NATURE DAYS
Art & Nature Days at Laumeier Sculpture Park bring families, friends, and individuals together for a celebration of creativity in the great outdoors. Through hands-on art activities, engaging demonstrations, and seasonal experiences, visitors can explore the deep connections between art, nature, and community. These events encourage time spent in green spaces, which supports overall wellbeing, sparks creativity, and offers moments of joy and connection. 2026 Art & Nature Days coincide with Laumeier’s Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting exhibition series, celebrating half a century of creative discovery, nature appreciation, and community.
Each Art & Nature Day will feature a collaborative time capsule activity, set to be opened on Laumeier' Sculpture Park’s 75th anniversary in 2051. Plus, stop by the front desk inside the Aronson Fine Arts Center to check-out family-friendly interactive kits, like "I Spy...In the Gallery" BINGO, created by our education team. They’re fun for all ages!
ART & NATURE DAY SCHEDULE / SATURDAY, APRIL 18
FREE ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES!
11 a.m.–2 p.m. / Exhibition Opening / Outside Galleries, South Lawn
Celebrate the opening of Begin Again: Wak’a Garden, co-created by artist and cultural activist Juan William Chávez (2026 Visiting Artist in Residence) and master gardener Kiersten Torrez (2026 Kranzberg Exhibition Series Artist).
Wak’a Garden is a chemical‑free habitat for native bees and plants inspired by Andean philosophy and cosmology. Built from natural materials found on Laumeier’s grounds, this amphitheater‑shaped sculpture, featuring ceramic hives and a teaching garden, marks the second installment in Laumeier’s Begin Again series, celebrating 50 years of artist collaboration and new commissions. It serves as a multisensory space for reverence, gathering, educational workshops, and live performances.
12–1 p.m. / Artists Talk & Performance / Outside Galleries, South Lawn
An introduction by Curator Dana Turkovic will be followed by an artist talk and performance with Juan William Chávez and Kiersten Torrez.
11 a.m.–2 p.m. / Art Activity Area / Outdoor Galleries, South Lawn
Curated by 2026 Kranzberg Exhibition Series Artist, Kiersten Torrez, learn about native gardening and its importance to our pollinators with springtime activities including seeding soil blocks, planting grow bags and no-sew aprons.
11 a.m.–2 p.m. / Family Play Space / Kranzberg Education Lab, Tile Room
Take a break indoors as you explore nature through sight, sound, touch, smell, and movement! Create rhythm using nature-inspired instruments, “paint” with water, and challenge your nose in a fun scent-guessing activity.
ADDED BONUSES:
9–10:30 a.m. / Guided Hike: Migration Bird Walk / Free (with registration)
Start your Art & Nature Day early with a Saturday morning walk as migrating birds return, pass through, and fill the landscape with the song—perhaps even pausing to take in the art around them, just like we are! Learn how to spot birds by sight and sound while exploring why Laumeier’s trees and open spaces are an important stop along their journey over the Mississippi Flyover. Families and friends will experience the Park through a seasonal lens while gaining a deeper appreciation for the rhythms of nature. Dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear. [Register Here]
10–4 p.m. / Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting Exhibition / Aronson Fine Arts Center
Arranged chronologically by decade, Laumier’s 50th anniversary exhibition invites visitors to wander through the Park’s history. Featuring hundreds of artists and rarely seen works from our collection, the exhibition highlights artworks that have come and gone and proposals that were never fully realized. Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting showcases change and impermanence, highlighting the dynamic, evolving nature of sculpture and Laumeier’s long-standing relationship with artists and the natural landscape.
Earth Day Celebration Week Bioblitz Starts on April 18 / Online Only
Join Laumeier’s annual Earth Day Celebration Week Bioblitz and help document the Park’s biodiversity through iNaturalist. Visit the Kranzberg Education Lab on Saturday, April 18, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. to learn how to participate.
PAST 2026 ART & NATURE DAYS
ART & NATURE DAY / SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the opening of Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting + Art & Nature Day. We enjoyed seeing visitors explore the anniversary exhibition, gather for Dana Turkovic’s curator talk, and create fun finger puppets alongside the Puppet Guild of Guild of Greater St. Louis. An activity that paid special tribute to RiverFaces, an arts initiative from 1984–1987. (Learn more below)
ABOUT THE HEADER PHOTOS:
Photos 1–8: Art & Nature Day, February 7, 2026. Staff photos.
Photos 9–13: RiverFaces, 1984. Laumeier Sculpture Park Photo Archive.
RiverFaces was a community arts initiative from 1984–1987. During this time, Laumeier hosted free workshops where participants designed and constructed masks and large-scale puppets for the RiverFace’s parade held in downtown St. Louis. More than 250 participants of all ages devoted two hours daily to projects of this workshop, from which came a 30-foot papier mâché puppet as Laumeier’s entry in the parade.
UPCOMING ART & NATURE DAY - SAVE THE DATE!
OCTOBER 3: ART & NATURE DAY + EXHIBITION OPENINGS
Mark the opening of Begin Again: Ursula von Rydingsvard, Untitled and Begin Again: Alison Saar, Honey Chile’ with a gallery talk between Alison Saar and Curator Dana Turkovic. Take part in hands-on art activities using natural materials inspired by Wak’a Garden and creative play in the Family Play Space.