Sculpture Park

Nature is our gallery
GUIDED TOURS: by appointment   
TICKETS: $25 per person (under 12 years of age = free of charge)

Regularly scheduled Saturday tours for 2024 will start July 6. Tours will take place from 10:00am to 11:30am. If you are interested in scheduling a private tour for your group during the off-season, please contact us at info@koartscentre.org.

You are also welcome to drop by at your leisure for a self-guided tour on Thursdays through Sundays, 10am – 6pm. The west half of the park is open during these hours for self-guided visitors. Donations are accepted for self-guided tours. If you would also like to experience the private sculpture gardens around the house and studios, please inquire about private tours at info@koartscentre.org.

Please be aware that in the winter months the park pathways may be covered in snow and visitors assume responsibility for their own safety.

Dogs are not allowed in the park to ensure other visitors’ safety and to protect the various species of wildlife that move through the corridor.

Our sincerest gratitude goes to the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, for their support in helping KOAC become all it can be.

The Allure of Art and Environment

The sculpture park celebrates the relationship between sculpture and nature. Visitors experience large, medium and small-scale outdoor sculptures and site-specific commissions under the open sky.

Presenting sculptures in a park and gardens environment is a ritual that dates back to ancient times. The interaction of artistic formulations and natural forms stimulates perception and thinking and the understanding of artistic visions.

The focus of the sculpture park’s distinguished permanent collection of Canadian and European modern sculpture is on large abstract welded steel works from the 1960s to the present. The goal is to preserve and showcase important carefully selected quality works of art.

Among the monumental pieces already in place are those by Ray Arnatt, Roy Leadbeater, Michael Sandle (British), Charles Robert Boyce, Alex Caldwell, Katie Ohe, just to name a few.

An advisory selection committee oversees approving new permanent or temporary additions. Complementing its outdoor collection, KOAC features an exclusive selection of indoor works by renowned artists, including those of founder Katie Ohe.

Sculpture Park and Woods / Sanctuary Walk

1. Blocks, Ray Arnatt

2. Tall Feathers, James Ziegler

3. Bridge, Charles Boyce

4. Steel Wave, Roy Leadbeater

5. Queen of the Night, Michael Sandle

6. Shimmering Willow, James Ziegler

7. Kiyooka Garden, Katie Ohe

8. Merging, James Ziegler

9. Doodle #4, Katie Ohe

10. Binder, Ray Arnatt

11. Dandelion, Kathryn Dobbin

12. Wheel House, Alex Caldwell

13. Earth Mother, Mitch DeMuth

14. San Zeno Church, Fonderia Fabris

15. Zig Zag, Claudia Cuesta

16. Intertwine, Ellie Scheepens

17. Torso, Katie Ohe

18. Birdbath, Alex Caldwell

19. Lantern, John Andrekson

20. Bill Krem, Brian Cooley

21. Crackpot Columns, Katie Ohe

22. Woman Standing, Norman Sjoman

23. Mother and Turtle, Katie Ohe

24. Sphere, Christian Eckart

25. Castle, Alexander Caldwell

26. ZigZag, Katie Ohe

Nature is our Gallery

We often think of art-viewing as an indoor experience, moving through museums and galleries to experience painting and sculpture. But some of the best art can be seen blended with nature as is the case of KOAC’s outdoor sculpture collection. With 20-acres of landscaped lawns, fields and woodlands KOAC encourages viewers to fan out, mill the grounds and stumble upon works of art against nature finding the allure of art and environment.

As part of its legacy, a priority for KOAC is the protection of 10 acres of Aspen, Birch, and first growth forests as a green corridor and woods sanctuary amid fast development in the surrounding Springbank area. During the summer months, KOAC visitors traverse fields of gentle meadows or stroll designed walkways that meander through a wooded grove with carefully selected contemporary sculptures. KOAC is restoring several walking paths that will allow visitors to wander on trails and discover sculptures.

DONATE AND PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

Following a Taoism concept

The sculpture park features a botanic garden as part of a contemplative environment to foster creative thinking, imagination, and a connection in harmony while surrounded by art and nature. The property is maintained as a wetland ecosystem with an interpretation of flora and fauna.

HELP DEVELOP OUR LANDSCAPE

Tours

Guided tours are available for the Sculpture Park. KOAC is developing a GIS location mobile application to allow visitors to use their phones to locate and learn the story behind each piece. A similar geolocation application would be available to locate the flora of the property.

BOOK A TOUR

Kathryn Fodchuk Dobbin's steel kinetic Dandelion, outside the sculpture studio and emerging artist space.

Photo by Amy Tucker, for the Cochrane Eagle, January 10, 2019

Be a groundbreaker!

Your donations help support Western Canada's largest sculpture park.