The Parkway is chock full of experiences, including a new collab between The Calder and The Barnes Foundations, featuring the former’s muse, artist Alexander Calder.
Dubbed Calder Gardens, this 1.8-acre site was designed to “immerse visitors in a space that catalyzes reflection and renewal, highlighting the interplay between art, architecture, and landscape.” It’s all meant to inspire a new approach to museums and art in the Philadelphia area by allowing the showcase — which incorporates different structures and outdoor focal points — to speak for itself.
“Calder Gardens is an extraordinary space, and in joining the other cultural treasures along the Parkway—including the Barnes, the Rodin Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art—it will further solidify Philadelphia’s position as one of the world’s most exciting cities in which to experience, and be transformed by, art,” says Marsha Perelman, President of the Trustees of Calder Gardens.
As a release notes, Calder’s mobiles, stabiles, paintings, and drawings will be presented without labels that provide titles, dates, and texts explaining how best to understand and interpret them. Outside, the site’s gardens and meadows will feature native and perennial species, while the building itself—a gently curved structure with a metal-clad north facade and an understated wood south facade—is reminiscent of Calder’s own bohemian home in Connecticut. The artworks on display will change over time and include rarely seen masterpieces, some on public view for the first time.
“On the surface, my grandfather pushed beyond established norms by collapsing mass and setting sculpture in motion,” says Alexander S. C. Rower, President of the Calder Foundation and grandson of the artist.
“But on a deeper level, he explored how art can be experienced in a perpetual present–one that is always unfolding. Calder Gardens does not so much present a story as it offers an opportunity to activate this challenging notion. The architecture and gardens invite us to direct our own journey, to interpret what we see in a uniquely personal way, to use our hearts more than our heads. This is a site for reflection, introspection, and discovery.”
To celebrate the opening, locals can head to the venue this Saturday, Sept. 20, for a free public parade dubbed, ‘Chaos and Kisses: A Grand Opening Parade for Calder Gardens.’ The festivities will be in full swing from noon to 2 p.m. with an array of different performances from local artists and performers—including Pig Iron Theatre, Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, Mad Beatz Philly with youth drumlines, and the Brazilian percussion ensemble, PHonk.
Then, beginning on Sunday, Sept. 21, Calder Gardens will be open to the public Wednesdays through Mondays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Memberships start at $98 annually, providing benefits such as unlimited free admission to Calder Gardens and the Barnes Foundation, exclusive morning access from 10 to 11 a.m., guest passes, and discounts at the Calder Gardens Shop. General admission tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $5 for college students (with valid ID) and youth (13–18), and free for children 12 and under.
Calder Gardens is located at 2100 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Memberships and tickets are available at caldergardens.org
