Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail
Encyclopedia
The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail is a point of interest in the Forest of Dean
in the county
of Gloucestershire
, England.
The Sculpture Trail
links several different site-specific sculptures commissioned for the forest. It is open from dawn to dusk every day of the year, with no admission charge. The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust continues to raise funds to commission additional works. The Trust (FODST) manages the Sculpture Trail, located at Beechenhurst, near Coleford in Gloucestershire, in partnership with the Forestry Commission in the Forest of Dean. The Trust is a registered charity and has a long record of commissioning sculpture and related temporary projects that are specific to the forest environment. Commissioning commenced in 1986, originally in partnership with Arnolfini, Bristol’s flagship contemporary art gallery, and following the establishment of the Trail has resulted in the presentation of more than 20 permanent sculptures, almost all of international significance, alongside temporary residencies and highly successful public events.
The Trail provides access to a diverse audience that attracts an estimated 150,000 visitors per year. Since many of them do not visit art galleries, this is frequently their first introduction to site-specific art, or indeed contemporary art of any form.
The early sculptures were commissioned to be site-responsive and to interpret the forest, and the Trust adheres to this very particular strategy, which is what makes the Dean very different to other Sculpture Trails in the country.
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England.
The Sculpture Trail
Sculpture trail
A sculpture trail—sculpture walk - also known as "a culture walk" - is a walkway through open-air galleries of outdoor sculptures along a defined route with sequenced viewings encountered from planned preview and principal sight lines.-Settings:...
links several different site-specific sculptures commissioned for the forest. It is open from dawn to dusk every day of the year, with no admission charge. The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust continues to raise funds to commission additional works. The Trust (FODST) manages the Sculpture Trail, located at Beechenhurst, near Coleford in Gloucestershire, in partnership with the Forestry Commission in the Forest of Dean. The Trust is a registered charity and has a long record of commissioning sculpture and related temporary projects that are specific to the forest environment. Commissioning commenced in 1986, originally in partnership with Arnolfini, Bristol’s flagship contemporary art gallery, and following the establishment of the Trail has resulted in the presentation of more than 20 permanent sculptures, almost all of international significance, alongside temporary residencies and highly successful public events.
The Trail provides access to a diverse audience that attracts an estimated 150,000 visitors per year. Since many of them do not visit art galleries, this is frequently their first introduction to site-specific art, or indeed contemporary art of any form.
The early sculptures were commissioned to be site-responsive and to interpret the forest, and the Trust adheres to this very particular strategy, which is what makes the Dean very different to other Sculpture Trails in the country.