Calder Gardens Opens in Philadelphia
Calder Gardens Opens in Philadelphia
Calder Gardens, a new cultural destination dedicated to the art of Alexander Calder, opened to the public on 21 September. Located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 21st and 22nd Streets, the 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-an open invitation to interpretation and discovery.
Calder Gardens’ milestone opening moment will be preceded on Saturday, September 20, by Chaos and Kisses: A Grand Opening Parade for Calder Gardens, a free public parade conceived by acclaimed artist, composer, and musician Arto Lindsay and organized by Juana Berrfo, Marsha Perelman Senior Director of Programs at Calder Gardens.
Calder Gardens is a unique collaboration between the Calder Foundation, which is providing the curatorial vision, and the Barnes Foundation, which is providing administrative and operational support through an innovative resource-sharing model. The site’s gardens and meadows, featuring native and perennial species, were created by renowned Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf. The building-a gently curved structure with a softly shimmering metal-clad north facade and an understated wood south facade reminiscent of Calder’s own bohemian home in Connecticut-was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning firm Herzog & de Meuron. In this setting where architecture and nature commune, visitors will find a wide range of works by Calder both inside and outside. The artworks on display will change over time and include rarely seen masterpieces, some on public view for the first time.
Beginning on 21 September, Calder Gardens will be open to the public Wednesday – Monday from 11 am to 5 pm. Memberships and tickets are now available at caldergardens.org.
Calder Gardens, 2025. Artwork by Alexander Calder © 2025 Calder Foundation, New York/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: lwan Baan
Calder Gardens has received a broad range of generous support and significant underwriting from many dedicated individuals, foundations and corporations, as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia.
In a departure from the traditional museum approach, where in didactic information is presented alongside works on view, 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. By allowing the artworks to speak for themselves, Calder Gardens proposes an open-ended experience that encourages visitors to take their time and react to Calder’s art in their own way and at their own pace.
‘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.’
Ursula: Issue 14
‘Places and Spaces’ is the broad consideration guiding the fall issue of Ursula, from public gardens and ancient cities to environments shaped by sound. The cover story offers a first look at Calder Gardens, the new cultural landmark opening in Philadelphia in September 2025. Conceived as a permanent public home for the work of Alexander Calder, the project merges art, architecture and landscape, with a design by Jacques Herzog of the Pritzker Prize–winning firm Herzog & de Meuron and plantings by renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf. In a conversation with Herzog, Oudolf, Juana Berrío, senior director of programs at Calder Gardens, and Alexander S. C. Rower, Calder’s grandson and president of the Calder Foundation, Ursula takes readers through the creation of this singular site.
‘Calder Gardens: Drawings and Texts by Jacque Herzog’
‘Calder Gardens: Drawings and Texts by Jacques Herzog’ gives unique insights into the creative process that led to the architectural realization of the Calder Gardens in Philadelphia—a new cultural destination that brings together the visionary architecture of Herzog & de Meuron and the meticulous garden design of Piet Oudolf to celebrate the human spirit through Alexander Calder’s art.
