MISSION

Engaging the community through art and nature

OUR STORY

Founded in 1976, Laumeier is one of the first and largest dedicated sculpture parks in the country. In 1968, Mrs. Matilda Laumeier bequeathed the first 72 acres of the future Laumeier Sculpture Park to St. Louis County in memory of her husband, Henry Laumeier. In 1976, local artist Ernest Trova gifted 40 artworks, with an estimated market value of approximately one million dollars, to St. Louis County for the formation of a sculpture park and gallery. Laumeier Sculpture Park opened as part of the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation system on July 7, 1976. One year later, Laumeier Sculpture Park was officially incorporated.

Today, Laumeier is an internationally recognized, nonprofit arts organization that is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and operates in partnership with St. Louis County Parks. Projects and programs are supported by the Mark Twain Laumeier Endowment Fund, the Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Laumeier presents more than 70 works of large-scale outdoor sculpture in a 105-acre park located in the heart of St. Louis County. Free and open daily, Laumeier serves 350,000 visitors of all ages each year through sculpture conservation, education programs, temporary exhibitions and public events.

In 2015, Laumeier closed its first major capital campaign, Sculpting the Future, culminating in the renovation of the Laumeier’s 1917 Estate House into the Kranzberg Education Lab and the construction of the new Aronson Fine Arts Center for exhibitions, programs and events.

Laumeier Sculpture Park: First Decade

Laumeier Sculpture Park: Second Decade

We acknowledge the ancestral lands of the Osage Nation, Missouria, and Illini Confederacy, the lands on which Laumeier Sculpture Park is located. We pay respect to their elders, past and present.

PRONUNCIATION

"Laumeier" is often mispronounced. Between a St. Louis street named Lohmeyer and a downtown casino named Lumiére, there is no shortage of variations. The correct pronunciation is "Lau" (rhymes with "now")–"meier" (rhymes with "higher"). Laumeier is the family name of Henry and Matilda Laumeier, who were the last owners and residents of the property where Laumeier sits today. Henry Laumeier's ancestors emigrated from Germany in the mid-19th century; therefore, we use the traditional German pronunciation of his surname.

2023 YEAR IN REVIEW BOOK

We hope you enjoy looking back at some of our favorite moments from 2023!

OPERATING PARTNERS

Laumeier is a nonprofit arts organization that operates in partnership with St. Louis County Parks. Laumeier’s ongoing operations and programs are made possible with support from the Regional Arts Commission; Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; among other corporations, foundations, individual donors and members. The ongoing conservation of the artworks in our collection is supported by the Mark Twain Laumeier Endowment Fund.

PROGRAM PARTNERS