Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

The design of the landscape and buildings at Bernheim, as well as the sculpture and art found throughout the arboretum, enhance our relationship with the natural environment and inspires the exploration of our deep connection with nature.

The world-renowned firm of Fredrick Law Olmstead was selected and commissioned in 1931 to design the arboretum. In accordance with the firm's recommendations; roadways, paths and natural areas were created, trees were planted, and farmland was restored to meadows, lawns and forest. Lakes, rivers and ponds were developed to provide "an enlivening effect." In 1950 Bernheim Forest was opened to the public. Continuous efforts are made to enhance the arboretum, the gardens and the natural areas by Bernheim's professional horticulture and natural areas departments.

In the mid-1960s, the gardens surrounding the Garden Pavilion and adjacent Quiet Garden were developed by landscape architecture firm Miller, Wihry and Brooks of Louisville. The gardens surrounding the Garden Pavilion were inspired by the cross-section of a clematis stem. The gardens were recently updated to reflect current Bernheim Select ™ perennials as well as old garden favorites and include examples of cutting, shade and butterfly gardens.

Originally built as the Nature Center and completed in 1962, this multi-functional building is sited on the old Jones Farm property. Silos from the original farm still stand near by. Today it houses administrative offices and remains a well-used venue for educational and cultural displays, events and includes a wild life viewing room. It is open year-round. The adjunct gardens include shade and sun gardens and the Kingfisher Pond.

Designed by the Louisville firm of Nevin and Morgan in 1961, the Garden Pavilion is a six-sided redwood structure located on Lake Nevin and reflects a mid-century modern style. It is surrounded by a vine-covered pergola, which cools the building in the summer. The building is the center of the clematis stem shaped configuration. The Garden Pavilion is available year-round for weddings, meetings and gatherings.

The Research Center opened in 2004, providing office space and research facilities for horticulture and forest management and meeting space for scientific research. Global Change, bird migration, insects, amphibians, small mammals, and grassland grazing as well as stream restoration are currently being studied. The cultivation of selected perennial and tree species take place in greenhouses within the complex.

The environmentally friendly and sustainably designed, innovative and award-winning Visitor Center opened to the public in 2005. Designed by William McDonough + Partners of Charlottesville, Virginia and Barnett and Bagley Architects of Lexington, it was conceived as a "building like a tree" with pergolas, arbors and living roof, along with other design feature that reflect the ecology of Kentucky, created to connect to its sense of place. It has received numerous awards including the Platinum level of the LEED certification program.

Located in the Children's Play Garden, five structures support large, living green roof boxes while providing seating, shelter and shade. Their contemporary design incorporates columns made from recycled trees found within the forest.

Bernheim Fire Lookout was constructed in 1929 by the Kentucky Division of Forestry. It is a 48' tall Aemotor tower with a 7'x7' metal cab. The lookout was regularly staffed until 1980. In 1986 it was used to monitor a wild fire. It was designated as a historical lookout on April 22, 1998 by the National Historical Lookout Register. Restoration and management is now handled by the Bernheim Foundation with help from the local community and the University of Kentucky.

The Art in Nature program provides a vital platform for artistic experimentation and curious exploration that becomes a part of the entire ecosystem of Bernheim and inspires our deep connections with nature, often providing a visitor with a sense of discovery. Its programs include the Artist in Residence Program, Sited @ Bernheim, Local Use by Local Artists and CONNECT. In addition, the following sculptures have been donated to Bernheim throughout its history:

1. Snake Hollow by Patrick Dougherty, 2012 – Patrick Dougherty's environmentally friendly sculpture alludes to the myths of snakes and labyrinths. This primitive building material and method is utilized as the artist created this engaging sculptural installation. The artist, with the aid of over 50 volunteers, created this piece over a three-week period in April 2012. Constructed solely out of willow saplings, the weaving of branches creates an effortless effect as if the form has grown naturally within its setting. It will last two years before being chipped up and returned to the earth. This is the first Sited @ Bernheim project. These projects will occur every two years.
2. Earth Measure by Matt Weir, 2013 – Weir created the sculpture in honor of Barry Bingham Jr.'s life and service. Bingham, the former publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal and Louisville Times who guided the publications to win three Pulitzer Prizes, was also an avid environmentalist, photographer, and supporter of Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. He served on the Bernheim Board of Trustees from 1970 to 2006 and chaired the capital campaign for the Platium LEED Visitor Center and related projects. Constructed entirely out of more than a ton of solid stacked limestone blocks, Earth Measure will beckon the visitor to explore notions of science, geometry, sound, and architecture while deepening one's connection with nature. When Weir was commissioned three years ago to create a sculpture, he looked beyond designing a traditional sculptural tribute. By researching Bingham and conducting interviews, Weir dug deep into the principles that were important to both Barry Bingham Jr. and to Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. Bingham appreciated nature, the environment and was passionate about its preservation. He believed that there was nothing more important than public service. He had a strong commitment to supporting the education, research and protecting the land that constitutes Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. He also believed that photography and art were important means of capturing and appreciating nature as we know it. Earth Measure is an educational, interactive and multi-dimensional earthwork that must be experienced to be appreciated. It poses questions on the fundamental forms of the circle, square and triangle. It invites discovery by all ages both physically and intellectually. It places the visitor in a meadow and beckons them to tune into acoustic ecology and soundscape science. In other words, the sculpture both frames the environment through its "lens" and captures the sounds of seasonal wildlife through audio waves directed to the center of the listening dome or parabolic sphere. It is simultaneously simple and complex, scientific and artistic, monumental and graceful. Earth Measure also fulfills Isaac Wolfe Bernheim's deepest intention for the gift he gave the people of Kentucky, when he established the arboretum and research forest. It creates an inspirational and uniquely contemplative space, or stage, as it were, for people to connect deeply with nature.
3. Hello by Russell Vogt, 2009 – Russ Vogt, a former resident of Louisville, is both painter and sculptor. His work can be characterized as demonstrating a passion for both material and process. Vogt's ceramic sculpture utilizes a rich palette of ceramic glazes that range from deep blues and greens to hot orange and reds. The forms are often whimsical and made of handmade mosaic tile shards that cover an underlying armature. It was given as an anonymous donation.
4. Untitled by Jerry Bleem, 2002 – Jerry Bleem, a Chicago sculptor, was an Artist in Residence in 2002. His work transforms everyday discarded materials and reinvents them. This piece is a locally cast bronze of a form created by using thousands of staples to create this anthropomorphic shape.
5. Untitled by Heike Endemann, 2011 – Heike Endemann has three pieces at Bernheim. As one of the 2011 Artists in Residence, she utilized fallen logs, in a variety of species, and a chain saw to create these abstract sculptures. They are located in the Holly Pond, outside the Education Center and in the Education Center.
6. Cluster III, Ernest Shaw, 1976 – Ernest Shaw, New York painter and sculptor created this 3-piece sculpture in Cor-Ten steel. Nestled in the Holly Collection, this large, abstract sculpture forms three points of a triangle. Over the last four decades, Shaw produced a prolific body, exploring a variety of different mediums and techniques and challenging the fundamental concepts of balance, composition, gravity, compression and expansion. It was given as an anonymous donation.
7. Let There be Light, by George Grey Barnard – This elegant bronze statue of a woman with uplifted arms by world-renowned sculptor, George Grey Barnard, is mounted on a granite base at the gravesite of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac W. Bernheim. She stands above a stone semi-circle and is flanked by granite pylons representing the Jewish and Christian religions. A bronze plaque is mounted at ground level at the base of the stairs that lead up to the statue - it reads: "May light, the symbol of life and truth, illumine the paths of good citizenship and reason, and tolerance and fairness guide our relationship with our fellow men." One of America's most gifted and interesting sculptors, George Grey Barnard (1863-1938) studied in the US and abroad. He received numerous public commissions including the Pennsylvania State Capitol, a colossal project containing 32 figures.
8. An 11-foot tall statue of Lincoln, created in 1917 at the commission of Charles P. Taft, stands in Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati.[4] A second casting of the Lincoln statue stands in Manchester, England (1919). A third copy (1922) stands in Louisville, on the lawn of the Free Public Library. The statue, funded by Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Bernheim was dedicated October 26, 1922.
9. Untitled by Paul Fields – This abstracted, organic form, carved in limestone was originally started in Louisville and finished on site by Bernheim's first Artist in Residence in 1980. A renowned Kentucky sculptor, Paul was recognized internationally for his stone and wood abstract sculptures. The artist was responsible for starting a number of sculptors in stone – Don Lawler, Matt Weir, Mike Ratterman and Larry Beisler are among them.
10. Untitled by Paul Fields – This abstracted "blossom" form sculpture by Paul Fields was dedicated on November 16, 2003, in honor of the artist's mother, and donated to Bernheim by the Fields family. It sits on the Lake Nevin Loop Trail just off the main drive into Bernheim.
11. Emerging by Meg White, 1988 – The artist is a self-taught sculptor who discovered the three-dimensional process through paper sculpture. In 1991, Meg discovered stone carving at Don Lawler's studio and began to create wildlife and figurative works on a full-time basis. Meg now produces limited edition bronzes as well as small and monumental-scale works in stone. Varley E. Wiedeman donated the sculpture in memory of ornithologist, fellow faculty member at U of L, and former Bernheim board member, Dr. Burt Monroe.
12. Hymn to Justice – Located on Tablet Hill near the main entrance to Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a stanza from one of Pierson Merrill's songs, Not Alone for Mighty Empire. It is a call to his nation (applicable to any nation) to set righteous priorities. William Pierson Merrill was an American Presbyterian clergyman, who served in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. Considered an outstanding preacher, he was also an author and a hymn writer. It commemorates Mr. Bernheim's love and respect for all humanity. It reads: "God of justice, save the people from the clash of race and creed, from the strife of class and friction. Make our nation free indeed. Keep our faith in simple manhood strong as when her life began till it finds its full fruition in the brotherhood of man." - William Pierson Merrill
13. Untitled, by Tom Butch, 1988 – Located beside Lake Nevin near the Quiet Garden, this abstract red steel sculpture was commissioned by Al and Vicki Mattox as a memorial to their son. Its design includes universal joints that originally allowed it to be multi-positional, participatory and playful in nature. It now stands in a sedentary position and suggested forms are found by walking around it.
14. Our Precious Forest by Karl Ciesluk, 1988
15. Stricken by Karl Ciesluk, 1988
16. Ying Yang by Karl Ciesluk, 1988

1998 Artist-in-Residence Karl Ciesluk created numerous works of art throughout Bernheim. The pieces are scattered throughout the forest and arboretum to become delights of discovery as it is explored. Each piece is composed of tiny-mirrored squares, creating a glittering effect and reflection of its surrounding.