In recent years, a number of museums in the U.S. have shifted their renovation strategy: not only updating buildings and galleries, but rethinking how nature, landscape, outdoor spaces, and visitor experience interplay with art. Spurred partly by changing visitor expectations during/post-pandemic, concerns about accessibility, sustainability, and public health, these institutions are transforming their grounds to deepen engagement with art in natural settings.
- What’s Being Done — Key Examples
Here are several institutions and what they’ve done (or are doing), with the nature-and-art integration front and centre:
Museum / Institution Renovation / Nature Elements Purpose / Outcomes
Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (Ridgefield, CT) Expanded & reimagined sculpture garden on a 3-acre campus: added 100 new trees; walkways lined with native pollinator plants; outdoor stone amphitheater; more seating; site made universally accessible. To respond to visitor demand (more outdoor use during the pandemic), improve accessibility, make the garden welcoming and usable, and provide settings for outdoor sculpture & installations.
Dia Beacon (Dutchess County, NY) Redesigned ~8 acres behind the main building; introduced ~90 species of native plants; planting of 400 new trees/shrubs; creating more naturalistic landscape around sculpture and walking areas. To enhance the visitor experience by allowing art to sit in changing natural light and seasons; improve environmental sustainability; connect art more fluidly with landscape.
Storm King Art Center (NY, large outdoor art museum) Upgraded visitor amenities: new welcome plaza; better parking layout; improved seating; improved support facilities (e.g. restrooms, wayfinding). To make the outdoor experience more comfortable, more inviting, to reduce friction in visiting (distance, facilities), and let people spend more time enjoying art in nature.
- Drivers of This Change
Why are museums doing this now? The report suggests several motivations:
Pandemic effect: Outdoor spaces became more valued when indoor gatherings were restricted. Museums saw higher usage of sculpture gardens, outdoor trails, etc., and recognised the need to improve those amenities.
Visitor expectations: People increasingly want art experiences that aren’t just indoors under artificial lighting — more natural light, views, landscape, fresh air. Spaces that feel open, accessible, integrated with nature.
Accessibility & inclusion: Outdoor spaces often have obstacles (e.g., uneven paths, steep grades). Renovations aim to make these accessible to people of varying mobility. Also enhanced seating, walkways, shaded areas to serve more visitors comfortably.
Environmental / ecological considerations: Use of native plants, increased tree cover, pollinator-friendly plantings. These help sustainability, climate resilience, biodiversity.
Artistic possibilities: Natural settings offer changing light, seasonal interest, evolving landscapes that can add layers to how people experience art. Sculpture interacts differently with sun, shadows, weather. Museums leverage that.
- Design Strategies & Features
From these examples, here are the concrete design or renovation strategies museums are using.
Creating sculpture gardens or expanding existing ones, blending art and planting.
Planting many native species (trees, shrubs, groundcover) to provide ecological benefit and visual richness.
Adding walkways that are comfortable, accessible, shaded, lined with plants/pollinators.
Upgrading visitor infrastructure: seating, amphitheaters, shade structures, restrooms, plazas, parking layouts.
Ensuring universal accessibility, including paths that can be used by visitors with mobility issues.
Considering seasonality: how the landscape looks in different seasons; how weather, light, foliage change over time.
Integrating amenities & outdoor gathering spaces: places to rest, picnic, reflect, host performances in conjunction with art.
