Event Information

Please join us for a visit to two beautiful places along the 38th parallel. Both feature large outdoor sculptures, several by the same artists, and they share a mission of doing civic good. We’ll learn about their collections and how they engage with communities around them.

Oliver Ranch​ ​(38.72°N)​ is located in Sonoma County, California. The 100 acre property is home to 18 site-specific installations by some of the most recognized contemporary artists. Steve and Nancy Oliver bought it in 1981 to graze a few extra sheep for, as Steve says, “My daughter’s 4-H project gone bad.” The ranch’s evolution from exiled sheep pasture to world-renowned sculpture ranch was gradual and organic, a natural convergence of the Olivers’ long standing passion for art and deep connection to the land. Tours of the ranch are donated to a wide range of nonprofits as an innovative fundraising tool.

Laumeier Sculpture Park ​(38.55°N​) ​is located in St. Louis County, Missouri. Founded in 1976 from the gift of Matilda Laumeier, it is one of the first and largest dedicated sculpture parks in the country. It features more than seventy large works spread across 105 acres. Each year, this public-private partnership welcomes 300,000 visitors of all ages with free education programs, temporary exhibitions and public events.

Presenters

Steve Oliver ​is president of the award-winning construction firm Oliver & Company, which has built over a thousand buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area. A well-known arts philanthropist, advocate, and civic leader, Steve is the former Chairman of the Board of the ​San Francisco Museum of Modern Art​, and he currently serves as Chairman of the Board for ​Community Arts Stabilization Trust​ (CAST​). He and his wife, Nancy, are respected collectors of contemporary art.

Dana Turkovic ​curates exhibitions and manages the permanent collection of the Laumeier Sculpture Park. During her tenure, she has overseen acquisitions and commissions by Sam Falls, Odili Donald Odita, Geoffrey Krawczyk, Raqs Media Collective, Marie Watt and Tony Tasset among others. A current project is ​The Future is Present: Art and Global Change​ ​which examines the intersections between art and some of the most pressing environmental issues, including climate change.

Karen Mullen, Laumeier’s Curator of Education, directs public and private programming for all ages. She has fostered partnerships within the community through a variety of public events, studio classes, art camps, tours, in-residence, family, and teen programs. Her current projects include Discover Laumeier and Laumeier After Dark , public events that engage visitors with the collection and exhibitions and with the in-residence artists through experiences in the natural environment of Laumeier.