Loveland High Plains Arts Council is ready to purchase life-size or larger outdoor sculptures to add to the collection in Benson Sculpture Garden. While we always accept submissions for bronze pieces, we also consider stone, metal or other durable, permanent materials that are safe, easily maintained and that are able to withstand the year-round weather conditions in Colorado as well as the many, unsupervised children who climb on and play with the sculpture. For future maintenance and repair reasons, pieces produced by reputable and well-established US facilities are preferred with the understanding that a three-year warrantee on workmanship, durability and materials is expected from the artist. All sculptures in the garden collection are professionally inspected, cleaned and maintained annually by the LHPAC and the City of Loveland’s Visual Arts Commission.

BENSON SCULPTURE GARDEN is located at 2908 Aspen Drive in Loveland, Colorado, Benson Sculpture Garden has provided a beautiful and unique outdoor setting for showcasing sculpture since 1985. It is here that the Loveland High Plains Arts Council hosts its renowned Sculpture In The Park event each summer. Currently, there are 187 pieces of sculpture on permanent display by world-renowned and emerging artists worth over $5.5 million. This 10-acre park is open to the public and may be viewed at any time of day.  It includes handicap accessible sidewalks, gardens, ponds and wetland features, a public restroom and several picnic areas.

In 2015 Benson Sculpture Garden was expanded across 29th Street with the installation of three new pieces. Today there are 27 sculptures located in this newer area, Benson Sculpture Garden at North Lake Park. Additional landscaping was added to this area of the park in 2018.

In 2024, thanks to a very successful Sculpture in the Park 2023 Show and Sale, the Loveland High Plains Arts Council was able to acquire 5 new pieces for permanent placement in Benson Sculpture Garden. These new pieces were installed and dedicated in July.

This "public treasure" annually draws tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe. It has been recognized as "one of the 200 most important modern and contemporary art sites around the world” and as “one of the 20 must-see contemporary art sites across the USA". Additionally, it is the #1 attraction for Loveland on TripAdvisor.

The garden is open all year except for a small section that is closed during setup and takedown for the Sculpture in the Park show and sale. There is no admission fee to visit Benson Sculpture Garden except during the weekend of the annual Sculpture In The Park Show and Sale during the second weekend in August. Only the Southwest corner of the park is closed from July 27 to August 15 for the setup of the Sculpture in the Park Show.

Budget:

Profits from the 2025, 40th Anniversary Sculpture In The Park Show and Sale are allocated to the purchase of new works for the Benson Park Sculpture Collection and other improvements to the park. Loveland High Plains Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Each year there is some variability in the funds available any given year. Normally 4 to 6 new sculptures are added each year.

Important Dates:

·         November 18, 2024             Deadline for submitting proposals with 3 images per piece.                               

·         December 31, 2024         Final selection of new pieces by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council

·         February 6, 2024                 Final approval by the City of Loveland’s Visual Arts Commission

·         July, 2024                          Installation of new pieces in Benson Sculpture Garden

Application Requirements

Application Requirements:

Submissions must be submitted via Café Call for Entry website at https://artist.callforentry.org by 12:00 pm MDT on Monday, November 18, 2024

·         A 1–2-page (maximum) resume listing the artist’s education, experience, awards, commissions, collections, and galleries.

·         An artist may submit up to 3 different pieces of work. Please fill out a separate entry/application for each piece proposed.

·         3 images of each proposed piece showing the front, back and side view. The artist’s picture or name must not appear anywhere in the image.

·         Please do not submit pieces that you have submitted more than once in previous years or that are duplicated in a permanent, public location within a 60-mile radius of Loveland, CO.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all sculptors age 18 and older working in a permanent medium suitable for outdoor installation.