MUSEUM VISIT: Olympic Sculpture Park

The Olympic Sculpture Park is an urban oasis located near the Belltown area of Seattle. Just a short walk from Seattle Center, this green space is certainly an area worth visiting. The Park is part of the Seattle Art Museum ("SAM"), even though it is located several blocks away and is free admission.

The main entrance is located in a large building, of which most of the sides are made of windows that open to an outdoor patio area. Upon first entering the building, there are several pamphlets available near the door that contain information about events going at the Park as well as things going on at the Seattle Art Museum and Asian Art Museum. This building also includes the "Taste" cafe, which has a small variety of foods ranging from salads, kids meals, and sandwiches. Many of the items on the menu are comprised of organic foods. The pricing is reasonable, considering the quality of the food ($7 will get you a grilled cheese sandwich with caramelized onions and apples, in addition to a side salad). All of the food containers and uneaten food items can be composted and the Park provides bins for this purpose. The question of museums "going green" will become more of an issue, and it was interesting to see how SAM addressed it within the Sculpture Park.

One entire wall of the building was open on this particular day because it was a really nice outside. This wall leads out to a landscaped patio area where there are seats for people to eat their meals outdoors, if they would like. After walking down a set of stairs, you're lead out to the first sculpture piece. The unique feature of this park is the "Z" path that leads from the main entrance and takes visitors over the train tracks and street, leading you to the waterfront. The pathway can also be used for visitors that require wheelchair access, and the Park does loan wheelchairs to visitors on a first-come first-served basis.

There are chairs and seating areas located throughout the park allowing visitors to truly enjoy the beautiful scenery. The waterfront view is spectacular with the Olympic Mountain Range in the background. There is an area where visitors can walk to a beach and put their feet in the water; however, on this particular visit, a sign was posted that bacteria levels were too high to go in the water.

The permanent collection is unique and consists of approximately 21 pieces (some are on loan but considered part of the permanent collection). The oldest piece dates back to 1965 and the youngest piece to 2007. It is interesting to see how the placement of sculpture pieces had been incorporated into the design of the Park. What was even more interesting was reading the history on how nine acres of industrial land became an urban oasis.

I enjoyed my trip to the Park and spent about two hours there. I highly recommend checking it out, if you have the chance. Also, after going to the Park, I saw this article in the Seattle Times about some of the conservation issues that arise with these outdoor pieces from both the outdoor environment and visitors. Click here to read more about it.

If you have any additional information you would like to share about the Park or about your experience there, please feel free to leave comments!