A look at Citygarden Sculpture Park in St. Louis, MO.

Like to sightsee but not into architecture or history? Take the art route and enjoy the outdoor air with a visit to a sculpture park. In May of 2023, I visited Citygarden in St. Louis, Missouri. Sculpture Parks are a fun walk to take and happen upon different pieces of art. Some are playful, others can be dark and at times, a mystery. It’s a good way to still get a cultural experience without being indoors at a museum. But you still get elements of the museum since there are labels with titles and descriptions of the art. So in case you’re sitting around wondering what the heck you’re looking at, you’ve got a little bit of info. Plus, sculpture parks are always fun for pictures.

If you’re in it for the park, there are little spaces you can sit on a bench and just enjoy the park. These are on the edges and corners of the park. While you’re at it, there are buildings around to admire as well.

You’ve got two choices in the way to approach a sculpture park for photography.

Ignore You’re in a Park, and Capture the Sculpture Itself

So these will be front and center, the sculpture itself taking up most of the shot. You’ll need to minimize people and any real world annoyances (garbage cans, benches, etc). Patience will be needed as most people will be taking photos with the sculptures. Not just of them. This will work best if the sculpture has no whimsical element to it and it would be interesting (not exactly entertaining) if it were in a neutral environment.

Take for instance, this title image. That piece of art looks like two steel rings that can be easily transferred into a museum or modern building. This artwork is actually three rings, but I had trouble working the third one in. This was the only one I took this route with, excluding the environment.  

What about this piece made me take this route? This was developed by a mathematical formula. Its title was simply the description of the metal and degrees of the arc. It’s impressive to look regardless of environment but I didn’t see what the park or architecture could add to it. I tried to take it from afar and fit it into the environment more. That resulted in a less interesting picture.

But feel free to go both ways for your pictures and figure out after which you thought were better. This will result in you getting the double the pictures to sort through. But maybe trying it once or twice would be worth it to get an idea of your own preferences. What about the other option?

Embrace the Atmosphere

Try instead to capture the art peeking out of nature. Let the world in. It’ll be your stage. Use the trees, flowers, and architecture of the city to frame your sculpture. The playful thing about this, is you normally don’t get to see fantastical elements in the real world. Suddenly, the city is less serious and giant toys are abound. Third option we won’t explore since it’s inserting ourselves with the sculptures. And per the official website, feel free to touch the art! Now get creative and figure out how you’re going to pose and interact with the sculptures.

The majority of the sculptures are more entertaining to look at and makes me think of childhood games. The park and city elements work more in their favor. It’s a fun contrast. These would be too random if moved into a more neutral environment like a corporate building. In a museum, these would have trouble keeping up with the rest of the art pieces. So having these in an outdoor environment is more casual but stands out at the same time. I was grateful for the greenery but took opportunities with the architecture.

Don’t Forget about night shots

Citygarden Sculpture park is open to the public 24hrs a day, so nighttime photos will be a great time to visit also. I had only gone during the day, and it was much quicker than I expected. But it’s a great thing to check out if you’re in St. Louis. I’d even double back for the night shots since it won’t take too much time. Judging by the photos online, nighttime shots will be more colorful since individual waterspouts at a water feature all have different colored lights. Lighting on the sculptures will also be another interesting way to experience the shadowy sculptures. Going at nighttime is on the list the next time I’m in St. Louis.

So how did citygarden sculpture park come to be?

Originally it was two vacant lots that was part of larger redesigned view of the city back in 1999. It didn’t become a reality until 2009 after years of discussion. During those gap years, St. Louis was going through a revival throughout most of the city. Citygarden was meant to be recreational area that focused on green space. The park also features water areas for the children to play in. For the parents, there are multiple events throughout the warmer months, including musical performances. There are 29 sculptures and a million visitors a year visit this sculpture park.

What else is there to do after the park?

Personally, I was sightseeing, so I kept on walking. St. Louis has a lot of older architecture with ornate details and plenty of statues honoring historical figures. I combined this with visiting the historical home of Samuel Cupples, a previous post titled, Semi-Hidden Gem in St. Louis. It was a really great way to spend the day. The Citygarden sculpture park is also minutes from the Gateway Arch.

So which route will you take? Focusing on the sculpture itself or letting the world frame your picture?

The official website also includes a map if you want to plan out the visit. I would leave this in with general sightseeing, and as mentioned, don’t forget to swing by at night at least for the lights. Sculpture parks are a nice break from museums and gives you a chance to great creative with poses. And a great way to make friends, if only for a day, as people interact with the sculptures.