SCULPTURE GARDEN

An aerial view of the Metal Museum grounds.
Wander the Metal Museum's 3.2 acres of land filled with original sculpture by artists across the world. The Museum's sculpture garden includes over 20 pieces of sculpture ranging from simple yard art to more abstract metalwork. Listen to the clips below for an audio tour of the works on the Metal Museum grounds.
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AUDIO TOUR

A black-and-white photo of American civil war soldiers lined up in a row.

History of our Neighborhood

1600s – 1960s

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A drawn rendering of the Harahan bridge and the neighborhoods surrounding the current site for the Metal Museum.

History of the Grounds and the U.S. Marine Hospital

1881 – 1965

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A black and white photo of the old Museum gates opening onto the grounds.

History of the Museum

1976 – Present Day

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The entrance gates to the Metal Museum.

10th Anniversary Gates, 1989

Various Artists, Design by Richard Quinnell (English, b. 1940)

Forged steel and scrollwork frame with 23k gold leaf

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artists, 2014.2

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A kinetic sculpture with straight and twisted linear elements.

Kinetic Sculpture, 1984

L. Brent Kington (American, 1934-2013)

Stainless steel 

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 1999.4.1 

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A reflective metal bench painted with gold automotive paint.

Anchored Candy No. 6 (Cleo), 2014

Vivian Beer (American, b. 1977)

Steel, automotive paint, gun blue patina

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist and Repair Days 2018 Collection Sponsors, 2018.53.1

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A large vessel-like sculpture made from cast iron. The piece is topped with a man in a canoe, a bird, and a turtle.

Sacred Nature/Sacred Culture II, 1999

Wayne Potratz (American, b. 1942)

Cast Iron

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 2018.4.1

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A sidewalk lined with large ornamental sculptures made from steel and iron.

ABANA Sculpture Walk

Simon Benetton (Italian, 1933-2016), Punto d'Incontro, 1984
Alfred Habermann (Czech, 1930-2008), Untitled, 1984
Stuart Hill (American, b. 1943), Mollusk, 1982
Serge Marchal (French, b. 1944), Pelican, 1984

Antony Robinson (English, b. 1935), Winged Figure, 1984

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A large metal gate comprised of two blue posts with a red latching gate. The screen on the gate is made of a hexagonal pattern.

Big Chicken Gate, 1982

Richard Quinnell (English, b. 1940)

Mild steel, paint

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 2009.2.1

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A large teardrop shaped sculpture that is set into the ground. The surface is fractured into medium-sized chunks of textured cast iron.

Everyone Thirst, 2012

Ira Hill (American, b. 1974)

Cast iron, earthwork

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 2012.8.1

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A linear sculpture in the shape of a ship's hull, made of interlocking bars of steel.

Nova Scotia Boat, 1978

Bernie Hosey (Canadian, 1948-2012)

Cor-ten steel

Permanent Collection, Gift of Jim and Judy Wallace, 1999.2.1

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A tall metal sculpture made of gears, pipes, and wheels.

Goodbye, 2005

Dominice Gilbert (American, b. 1980)

Cast iron

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 2006.1.1 

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A metal bridge climbing into the sky. At its base is a small bed of pink roses enclosed by a short fence.

The Friendship Bridge, 2000

Various Artists led by Fred Borcherdt (American, b. 1939), Concept by Manfred Bredohl (German, 1944-2002)

Forged, fabricated steel

Gift of ABANA

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A tall, conical sculpture with fragments of metal shards decorating the top 4 feet.

Out of Chaos, Let Reason Prevail, 1998

Gregory Elliott (American, b. 1955)

Steel

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 1999.3.1

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A muticolor metal bench made from recycled metal in blue, red, yellow, brown, and white.

Gasparilla Bench, 1991

Gordon Chandler (American, b. 1953)

Reclaimed materials, new steel, stainless steel, paint

Permanent Collection, Gift of Wil and Sally Hergenrader, 1991.14.1

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A blue bench made from long bars of painted steel.

Metal Museum Bench, 2012

Various Artists led by Alfred Bullermann, (German, b. 1961)

Mild Steel

Permanent Collection

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A sculpture of a man's head rising out of the top of a rectangular block of steel.

Ideas, 2006

Doug Hendrickson (American, 1938-2007)

Cor-ten steel, bronze, stone

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 2006.6.1

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A metal sculpture that looks like a partial ribcage tilted on its side.

Discovery, 2010

Logan Hirsh (American, b. 1979)

Forged and fabricated steel

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 2012.10.1

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A large bell made from weathered blue bronze.

Bronze Bell, 1853

G.W. Coffin & Co. and Buckeye Bell Foundry

Bronze

Permanent Collection, In Memory of Mr. and Mrs. John Palmer Kellogg, 1983.7.1

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A large abstract sculpture with a rust-colored circle punctured by a large stone implement.

Implement #11, 1987

Fred Borcherdt (American, b. 1939)

Steel, stone

Permanent Collection, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Small, 1994.10.1

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A decorative fence section that is made from corn stalks and cobs and painted in green, yellow, and brown.

Cornstalk Fence, c. 1850

Wood and Perot Ironworks of Philadelphia

Cast iron

Permanent Collection, Gift from the Gulf Coast Chapter of NOMMA, 1981.8.1

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A rugged goldfish sculpture made from rusted and textured steel.

Mississippi Decompose, 2018

Various Artists led by Roberto Giordani (Italian, b. 1967)

Steel

Permanent Collection, 2018.45.1

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A sculpture of a large yellow daffodil.

The Real King Alfred, 1994

Jeff Fetty (American, b. 1953)

Forged, fabricated steel, paint

Permanent Collection, Gift of the River Bluff Forge Council, 1994.16.1

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A two-story building with a sculpture in front of it. The sculpture looks like dozens of steel rods joined together in the center, like an exploding star

Thicket III, 2015

Tom Joyce (American, b. 1956)

Stainless steel, cast iron

Long-term Loan, L2018.17.2

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A tall, linear sculpture with a stamen-like component on top.

Untitled, 1994

Paul Zimmermann (German, b. 1939)

Mild steel

Permanent Collection, Gift of the Artist, 1994.9.1

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The Sculpture Garden audio tour is made possible by the generosity of our donors and members. If you enjoyed your tour, please consider supporting the Metal Museum now through a tax-deductible donation or by joining as a member at metalmuseum.org/support