(Finding favorites in the Benson Sculpture Garden)
Sadly leaving Estes Park we headed east on US 34 through winding canyons along the Big Thompson River until we reached the City of Loveland, Colorado. I had last passed through Loveland about 20 years ago when I was investigating job opportunities at the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper(how the world has changed). At that time I was heading north to visit the city of Ft Collins near the Wyoming border. This time I wanted to stop and visit the Benson Sculpture Garden.
An artist friend who we were to meet for lunch later on in Greely suggested visiting the park. Loveland calls itself “a sweetheart city which has a love affair with the arts”. I had known that Loveland was known for its annual Sculpture in the Park competitions and had wanted to see the permanent collection of outdoor art.
The park stretches across 29th street in downtown Loveland. Since 1984 with fifty local artists participating, the event has since grown to 160 artists from around the world. You can read more about the history here. With each annual competition, entry funds and donations are used to purchase additional sculptures for the garden. As of September of 2020 there were 172 pieces in a variety of mediums including bronze, ceramic, glass, metal, and mixed media that have been added to the permanent collection. After we parked the Roge Mahal, we strolled through the gardens, which featured several ponds alongside the garden paths where the sculptures are located. There is a huge variety of styles and subject matter for the art. It was really amazing and beautifully showcased. Definitely a must see if you are in this area! I’m going to use the rest of this story to show you some of my favorite pieces:
