Art in the Wild: Your Guide to the 2026 Sculpture Season in the Berkshires

There is a particular magic that happens when fine art leaves the confines of the gallery and meets the rolling hills and scented woodlands of the Berkshires. This season, our landscape becomes a living museum. From monumental ceramics tucked among botanical blooms to global craft traditions reimagined on sprawling historic estates, the summer is inviting us to explore art, in its “natural” habitat. 

The Clark Art Institute. Photo by Derek Hansen.

The Clark Art Institute: Ground/Work 2025

On view through October 2026

Ground/work 2025 is an outdoor exhibition of six monumental sculptures positioned across the Clark’s stunning 140-acre Williamstown campus. This exhibition explores how “craft” is a crucial variable in the equation of art—taking form across the world not only in materials and processes, but in cultural and spiritual associations.

The six participating artists – Yō Akiyama, Japanese ceramics; Laura Ellen Bacon, British willow weaving; Aboubakar Fofana, West African indigo dyeing; Hugh Hayden, American woodworking; Milena Naef, European marble carving; and Javier Senosiain, Mexican tile mosaic – represent a diversity of geography, materiality, ethnicity, gender, and generation. Their craft-intensive practice is informed by national and/or regional traditions, and dynamically demonstrates how traditions can be reimagined to create contemporary meaning. No matter when or where or how craft is practiced, it always comes down to skilled human hands.

Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Berkshire Botanical Garden: Grand Gesture

May – October 2026

Opening Reception: Friday, May 15

Step into a world where clay becomes a  living form. Grand Gesture: Monumental Vessels in the Garden features the striking ceramic sculptures of Vermont-based ceramicist Stephen Procter. Thoughtfully placed among the Garden’s seasonal blooms, Procter’s work transforms simple materials into expressions of grace and presence. These large vessels command attention and shape the spaces they inhabit, radiating a quiet, beneficent energy that invites both contemplation and emotional resonance.

The Mount, Edith Wharton Cultural Center. Photo by Eric Limon.

The Mount, Edith Wharton Cultural Center: Contemporary Sculpture at The Mount

May 24 – October 24, 2026

Opening event: June 28 

Set against the verdant backdrop of Edith Wharton’s historic Lenox estate, and with the gardens in full bloom, Contemporary Sculpture at The Mount is an annual exhibition highlighting works of contemporary outdoor sculpture in a range of media. This year’s exhibition celebrates the theme of FLOURISH, showcasing artwork that demonstrates connection, hope, and growth through a unique dialogue between the formal, historic gardens and the bold, community-minded visions of today’s artists.

Chesterwood: In the Open

June 15 – October 31, 2026

For the 48th Contemporary Sculpture Show at Chesterwood—the former Stockbridge home of Lincoln Memorial sculptor Daniel Chester French—the exhibition In the Open: New England Sculptors Reclaim the Landscape will feature works by living New England sculptors. 

TurnPark Art Space. Photo by Vladimir Klinthcev.

Aside from dedicated outdoor exhibitions

There are sculptures everywhere in the Berkshires, and decidedly off the beaten path. TurnPark Art Space, a unique landscape destination in West Stockbridge, features permanent outdoor sculptures and a vibrant summer roster of performances, including its annual Summer Festival, a vibrant, all-day affair filled with performance art, wearable sculptures, music, dance, and meditation. 

Also be sure to visit MASS MoCA, known for its massive indoor galleries, the North Adams campus also features multiple outdoor and “building-as-canvas” exhibitions. These exhibitions, like the buds of spring, reopen every season (usually in May). Among them are Richard Nonas’s Cut Back Through for Bjorn, a long term outdoor installation in granite works of totemic quality;  Stephen Vitiello: All Those Vanished Engines, a layered sound installation (think pipes and metal drums) designed specifically for the Museum’s Boiler House building; and the monumental works of Anselm Kiefer, which include The Women of the Revolution (Les Femmes de la Revolution) (1992), comprised of more than twenty lead beds with photographs and wall text. 

Opening for its 24th season, DeVries Fine Art International Sculpture Trail is a beautiful, half-mile trail set among 15 pastoral acres of woods and wildflowers in Middlefield. Artist Andrew DeVries has created 45 works that meet at the intersection of dance, movement, and bronze. Open to the public Fridays through Sundays, 11 am – 4 pm, DeVries also hosts open studios, group art tours, and seasonal celebrations with live music.   

Whether you are a seasoned art purveyor or a nature lover looking for a meditative stroll, the Berkshires offers world-class outdoor sculptural experiences set against the region’s most priceless canvas: the landscape.