Woodmere's Outdoor Wonder

WOW! Woodmere’s Outdoor Wonder is an experience of outdoor sculpture in the context of nature and the environmental features of the Museum's grounds. WOW includes sculpture by significant artists as well as monumental estate trees of the 19th century, a pollinator garden, a rot road, and contemporary stormwater-management features such as a bioswale and step pools. Woodmere continues to develop and integrate the experience of these features across our grounds in a manner that brings art in conversation with environmental science and horticultural interest.

Scroll down to see the Sculpture and Nature highlights below to learn more. When visiting the museum, use the camera feature on your smartphone to scan QR codes and follow the trail. Click here for a map.

Landscape Project at Woodmere

There is now construction fencing at the rear portion of our parking surface, extending down the slope, and in the open space behind the Bertoia fountain. This is the first sign of a hardscape and landscape project that Woodmere is undertaking outdoors. The project is to create an "Outdoor Classroom," which is an oval-shaped stone patio where Woodmere's educators can bring classroom groups for outdoor art projects and where studio art teachers can bring adult plein-air painters. We are proud of our all-natural rot-road path, but it is not ADA compliant. This project will create an ADA-compliant path and a gathering place. We will also enhance the pollinator garden, install two sculptures by Walter Erlebacher, and create seating in the form of large blocks of natural stone (inspired by the seating at the rear entrance of the Weavers Way Co-op).  

The project is designed by Andropogon Associates, a landscape architecture firm renowned internationally for holistic approaches to landscape and ecosystem preservation. Andropogon worked with Meliora Design as civil engineers. We are confident that the project will answer Woodmere's needs, anchor our outdoor education spaces, and serve as a community asset. We expect the classroom to be completed in approximately two months. 

This project is made possible by the generosity of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Honorable Tom Wolf, Governor; the William B. Dietrich Foundation; the Maguire Foundation; and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority.