Reflecting on 25 years of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, longtime curator Jim Blake believes the local attraction has become one of the most popular and recognizable outdoor art exhibits on the continent.
The 15-acre site, nestled within Glebe Park, draws approximately 40,000 visitors a year. It launched in 2001 with three commissioned pieces of art designed by Canadian artists and now houses 40 sculptures and six one-of-a-kind memorial benches along its trails.
Blake said there will be two new installations this summer, with both expected to be in place before the weeklong ‘Sculpture Forest Alive 25’ celebration that runs Aug. 24-30.
Things kick off Monday (Aug. 24) with a Q&A and workshop with artists Scott Walling and Rose Pearson at Art Hut 3 from 4-6 p.m.; Tuesday (Aug. 25) there’s a free guided tour of the forest from 10 a.m. to noon; while Wednesday (Aug. 26) will see the launch of a new musical exhibit by Nicholas Russell from 7-8 p.m.
“That was all inspired by the sculpture ‘Atmopshere’, which is a stone dome. Russel used sounds around the sculpture and in the sculpture, while composing music featuring violin, viola and some lyrics,” Blake said. “If people go inside the sculpture and sit down, the sound will be really great.”
There will be an Oddysey-themed tour, featuring Greek myths and more, next Thursday (Aug. 27) from 10-11:30 a.m. On Friday (Aug. 28), Lynda Shadbolt and Myra Stephen will lead a quiet walk, stopping at various sculptures to practice Qigong.
The weekend will be busy, with Saturday (Aug. 29) featuring the induction of five new sculptures installed since 2024, from 2-4 p.m., and refreshments at HSAD from 4-5 p.m.
Sunday (Aug. 30) will see the debut of Sculpture Forest ALIVE – an immersive sensory and performing arts journey through the sculpture forest. There are two shows scheduled, from 11 a.m. to noon and 2-3 p.m. It will feature singer-songwriter Shannon Kingsbury, dancer Mairead Filgate and other artists Russell, Walling, Bethany Houghton, Andrea Lithgow, Wendy Lingard and Brad Brown.
The history
It was 1999 when the late Al MacPherson, a former HSAD instructor, visited Grizedale Forest in the Lake District in England. It contained a small sculpture forest that he couldn’t wait to tell people in Haliburton about.
Blake and fellow sculpture forest founder, Barb Bolin, were among the first to hear about it. It took two years to formalize – the team had to figure out where the forest would be located, and how to fill it without any base funding. It was tough going at first, Blake admitted.
Now, the forest operates like a well-oiled machine, the curator said. It raises $25,00030,000 every year to cover insurance and maintenance costs and hire a summer student.
Bolin said the forest puts Haliburton County on the map. She met a family from Texas while walking the trails this summer, who told her they visit sculpture forests all over the world.
“They said ours ranks right up there with the best ones,” Bolin said. “You don’t know when you start something like this whether it’s going to work, if people will get behind it. But this has been a tremendous success story.”
Now 72, Blake is preparing to retire as curator. Recruitment for the volunteer role is already underway, with an announcement expected later this fall.
“If you want to have something sustainable, you need to have succession plans in place and let younger people have opportunities to take over,” Blake said. “This is an incredible chance for someone to come in and put their own stamp on the place.”
For more information, visit www. haliburtonsculptureforest.ca or search for it on the Bloomberg Connects app.
