Calder Gardens, a groundbreaking new space dedicated to experiencing the works of renowned sculptor Alexander Calder, is set to open on September 21 in the artist's hometown of Philadelphia. The $70 million project features a comprehensive building complex with underground galleries and open-air pavilions, all surrounded by expansive panoramic gardens designed to offer visitors an unprecedented way to engage with Calder's artistic legacy.
"This is a sacred place where visitors can engage with Calder's work in a way that has not been possible before," says Alexander S. C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation and the artist's grandson. "This is a place to simply be present without the oppressive atmosphere and strict rules of the typical museum experience." The innovative approach represents a departure from traditional museum models, prioritizing direct artistic engagement over conventional educational formats.
The new institution occupies a strategically significant location on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, positioned directly across from both the Rodin Museum and the Barnes Foundation. This placement creates a remarkable artistic axis showcasing works by three generations of the Calder family. To the southeast stands a 19th-century statue of William Penn created by the artist's grandfather, Alexander Milne Calder. In the center at Logan Square, visitors can see the Swann Memorial Fountain (1924) designed by his father, Alexander Stirling Calder. To the northwest, Calder's own mobile sculpture "The Ghost" (1964) hangs prominently in the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Alexander Calder, born in Philadelphia in 1898, began his revolutionary artistic career in the 1920s creating three-dimensional wire sculptures that would transform modern art. He is widely credited with inventing the mobile, a suspended abstract sculpture that moves slowly through space, creating ever-changing visual experiences. From the 1950s onward, Calder increasingly worked with bolted steel plates to create monumental outdoor sculptures that can now be found in public spaces throughout the world.
Unlike traditional museums, Calder Gardens deliberately avoids providing extensive educational materials or wall labels. Instead, the site focuses on creating what organizers describe as a "more mindful experience" that allows visitors to connect directly with the art, architecture, and natural environment. The works on display will be periodically rotated by the Calder Foundation, drawing from its extensive collection and loans from prestigious institutions including New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, with many pieces being rarely or never-before-exhibited works.
"We want people to have a direct connection to the art without intervention, since this isn't an exhibition or a linear presentation," Rower explains. "The old idea is that a museum goes out into the world, collects objects, drags them home and presents them in a hermetically sealed glass box. We want to move beyond that." This philosophy reflects a growing movement in the art world toward more immersive and contemplative visitor experiences.
The journey to create this Philadelphia institution began in the mid-2000s, but initial plans fell through due to disagreements during the negotiation process. The project was revived around 2020 when Rower began discussions with Joseph Neubauer, a prominent local philanthropist who championed the idea of funding a standalone Calder facility in the artist's birthplace. "The fact that a similar project didn't succeed many years ago presented an additional challenge, which I actually welcomed," Neubauer notes. "This will likely be my last project, and it felt like the right thing to do with the right artist in the right place. It completes the Parkway in Philadelphia."
Calder Gardens operates under a unique administrative model, with the Barnes Foundation serving as the primary administrator while receiving support from the Calder Foundation, the City of Philadelphia, the State of Pennsylvania, and a dedicated board of trustees that includes several regional philanthropists. According to Neubauer, this collaborative operating model helps minimize overhead costs that typically burden non-profit organizations, allowing resources to be consolidated more efficiently.
The architectural vision for Calder Gardens came from the Pritzker Prize-winning firm Herzog & de Meuron, specifically architect Jacques Herzog, who was tasked with creating a flexible space that could properly showcase Calder's diverse body of work. Herzog developed multiple proposals before settling on the final design: a three-level, 18,000-square-foot structure carved ingeniously into the ground, with approximately 13,000 square feet located below street level. The above-ground portion serves as an entry point leading visitors to two subterranean galleries that display Calder's sculptures and paintings.
"It was not my goal to translate the essence and philosophy of Calder's work into an architectural experience," Herzog explains. "I tried to avoid analogies. Calder's work stands for itself, and our architecture stands for itself—it offers an experience in itself for all visitors. My strongest endeavor is to create an unseen diversity of spaces and atmospheres for Calder's objects, so they can be perceived in new and unexpected ways."
Surrounding the building is an extraordinary garden designed by Piet Oudolf, the renowned Dutch garden and landscape designer who previously led landmark public projects including New York City's High Line and Chicago's Lurie Garden. Oudolf's design for the Calder Gardens seamlessly interweaves the architecture and Calder's sculptures with approximately 250 species of native perennial plants and trees, creating a living artwork that changes throughout the seasons. The garden is expected to take about a year to reach full maturity.
"The design process was very abstract, because what we want to do is create a sense of surprise," Oudolf explains. "You can go there and come back a few days later, and the garden will be different. The garden is an experience in time and through the seasons, while the art remains mostly static. The building and the artworks are embraced by the garden, which is quite unique." The garden features three distinct zones: a meadow-like environment, a space filled with grouped and hanging plants, and a transitional space on the basement level with cascading flora.
The institution's programming, developed by Juana Berrío, Calder Gardens' senior director of programs, emphasizes sound, movement, mindfulness, and contemplative pause. Berrío has created an extensive roster of offerings designed to support artists whose practices focus on spiritual dimensions while amplifying Indigenous and non-Western perspectives. The programming includes innovative silent days when visitors are encouraged to turn off their phones and participate in walking or seated meditations, collaborative conversations that reflect Calder's own collaborative spirit, and seasonal listening circles conducted with members of the Lenape tribe.
Visitors will also have access to a specially commissioned series of audio walks, where contemporary artists and poets connect elements of the space to personal anecdotes, memories, and reflections. "We want to prioritize storytelling over scholarship, because that allows Calder's legacy to expand—not just through a historical lens but through present-day voices responding to the spirit and intentions of his work, which is rooted in introspection and contemplation," Berrío says. "Calder deeply understood the interconnectedness of all things. That's something we want to celebrate here."
