Knitting at Laumeier Sculpture Park - St. Louis
Hey Crafties! Y'all know what inspires me most? Autumnal scenery! Earlier in October I had to venture out to Laumeier for an assignment and I thought it would actually be the perfect time to sit back enjoy nature and work on my knitting project.
Located at 12580 Rott Rd, St. Louis, MO, Laumeier is a sprawling nature park consisting of 105 acres. To go there was certainly an experience considering it was my first time there. After making my way up a scenic, winding road, the car emerged onto a parking lot that almost looks like the entrance to an orchard. There were a few hanger-like buildings surrounding the drive up and a couple of house-like office buildings with charismatic flower gardens and seating areas surrounding them. I made my way down some stone stairs to get down into the fields.
The first sculptures I encountered were the Bomibus by Mark Di Suvero and Eye by Tony Tasset. I didn't stay too long with these two, opting instead to go venturing further. Honestly, I was just trying to find a stone path for stable footing.
Once the path was located, I ventured further into Laumeier. I was mostly sidetracked by all the nature. I've always been a lover of wooded areas and like a child, I wandered through trees, discovering new installments along the way. Eventually, I found a shaded area with picnic benches and I rested there for a while. It was a breezy day so I didn't linger there long.
I decided to leisurely start walking off the path and further into a seemingly harmless clearing beyond the cluster of trees. Thankfully, I was able to see the inset concrete that was the next installation. Funny enough, I took this trip before I got my glasses in so, I took a few moments to ponder the shapes in the ground and it took a hot minute for me to realize that it was supposed to be a face!
This one is called Face of The Earth #3 by Vito Acconci. I found the placement choice to be interesting and was grateful that I wasn't touring the park in the late evening 😅. The more I observed it, I couldn't help but to relate this one to a vintage clown doll I used to have as a child. Both of them were creeptastic.
By this point, I realized that while the landscape offers set trails for visitors, the true experience of Laumeier Park is venturing off the trails and becoming immersed with the artwork.
I recall that later on in my journey, I stumbled across another installation on accident! It was nearly at the very back and I discovered it after I'd taken a knitting break at Mark Mennin's Cores for Laumeier Sit. I decided to trek toward the trail for the return journey and saw a little white placard by an innocuous separation in some trees. I remember standing there for a bit while debating whether or not to let my curiosity lead me here.