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Melanie VanHouten

@melvanhouten

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art + nature + community = JSP ******* Founder + ED + Chief Curator at Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort, KY est. 2009

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𝑶𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎 🐝 By @shawnsmithsculpture

If you missed our Sculpture Social with Shawn Smith last week, you’re going to want to make a visit to the park to see our newest sculpture! Shawn worked incredibly hard over the last three weeks to build 𝑶𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎, but he put hundreds of hours into his piece before he even arrived to the park.

We can’t wait to see what Kentucky pollinators make 𝑶𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎 home!

We’re thankful to Artist Sponsors Don Wenzel and Ron Darnell for helping make Shawn’s residency possible.

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“This Month’s Faves”

To entertain: SoundScape with @bensollee at @josephinesculpturepark

#supportlocalart #sculpturepark #cellists #kentuckymusic #localartistspotlight

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She’s getting a makeover—the theatre, that is.

Since opening its doors in 1911 as a vaudeville house, the Grand Theatre has been a beloved part of Frankfort’s history. In 1941, it was transformed into a movie theatre, and for more than a century, it has brought entertainment, laughter, and lasting memories to generations of local residents.

Now, under the leadership of President Bill Cull, alongside a dedicated board of members, manager Sheila, and consultant Stacy Barnes, the Grand is undergoing a thoughtful renovation that honors its rich history while preparing it to welcome audiences for many years to come.

Featured:
• Art Installation “be•nef•i•cent” by Melanie VanHouten and Jeremy Wooldridge
• Original plaster wall from the Vaudeville Theatre
• New seating
• 2026-7 Schedule

#KentuckyCreator #CarrieBradshaw #supportyourlocaltheater #theaterkid #downtownfrankfortky

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Scoping out sites for @ceirra_evans' new sculpture that she's building as JSP's Artist-in-Residence! Learn more at josephinesculpturepark.org/air.

This residency is supported by a grant from the @kyfound4women.

#ArtistInResidence #KyArts #ArtistCommunitiesAlliance

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Sledding and winter walk to explore animal tracks at @josephinesculpturepark today!! The park is open and a whole new experience under a blanket of snow🩵❄️🩵 be prepared, the driveway is clear but the parking lot is still a little snowy.

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My "SELF-PORTRAIT"

It is part of video-composition by FemLink. Curated by Veronique Spain showing around the glob but currently at the L.A. Museum in Iceland
Nature is you find her you find yourself
Onemilliontreearts
More info

https://listasafnarnesinga.is/hveragerdi/art-museum-south-iceland-english/exhibitions/selfportrait-femlink/#

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🌀Thank you to everyone who contributed to and attended "Portals, Pathways, and the Space Between Us." The exhibition reached its conclusion last week.

Curated by Sso-Rha Kang, the collaboration with KADIST (@kadistkadist) explored placemaking, shapeshifting, and the temporalities of Kentucky through the Ohio River.

The exhibition traveled to six collaborating venues: Institute 193, KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, Josephine Sculpture Park, Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, The Carnegie, and the Eastern Kentucky University Giles Gallery.

At each stop, the three traveling artworks took different forms—projections on the foliage of trees to a performance along the river to a screening on an abandoned millhouse. The addition of local artist(s) per venue further expanded the exhibition, highlighting the nuances of place and identity through each environmental activation.

Traveling Artists: Katinka Bock, Sora Kim, Britni Bicknaver and Brianna Kelly

Local Artists: Zach Jett, Nick Keeling, Nora Barton, Belle Townsend, Trish J. Gibson, Jeri Katherine Howell, Bayley Amburgey, Grace Rogers, Willie Carver, dreaMachine transmissions, Flanger Magazine, Lina Tharsing

A special thank you to Lindsay Albert (@lindsayaa) and Jo-ey Tang (@thenotarypublic).

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Now on view at Josephine Sculpture Park
“Swing Set: Share a Share” (Duyan: Ibahagi ang Balato)
June 2025–June 2028

I’m honored to share that Duyan has a new home in one of my favorite places in Kentucky @josephinesculpturepark

Crafted from steel, wood, concrete, and hardware, this swing set holds twenty, personalized seats. Each seat a portrait and a story contributed by members of Filipinx Artists of Houston. The structure draws on gothic architectural motifs and spider-web patterns, forming a radiant, geometric hub that invites visitors into a shared, embodied experience.

This installation is an invitation to slow down, connect, and be aware of our communal presence, a playful yet poignant dialogue in motion.

Thank you to Marilou Mariko Carrera, Mel VanHouten, Mollie Rabiner, Cam Greaves, Jeri Howell, Seph Trask, and the JSP team for their support in bringing Duyan to life in its new setting in Frankfort, Kentucky.

And, Thank you to “A Gift from the Bower” that inspired the creation of “Duyan.” Everyone at the Locke Surls Center for Art and Nature, DiverseWorks, and co-curators Xandra Eden, Jack Massing, Charmaine Locke, and James Surls for welcoming me to be a part of the unique opportunity and celebration!

If you’re in the area, or planning a road trip through KY, Josephine Sculpture Park is free and open daily, dawn to dusk. I’d love to hear what you discover there, or stories you take away from this work.

#LeticiaBajuyo #Duyan #ShareAShare #JosephineSculpturePark #PublicArt #OutdoorSculpture #FilipinxArtists #CommunityArt #LandscapeArt #ArtInNature #KentuckyArt #sculpture

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August at JSP!
TONIGHT: @completelykentucky will donate 20% of all purchases to JSP! 🩵. Aug 22: One Night ONLY! Pop up exhibition! All month: Summer Challenge! Your donations will be matched dollar for dollar and will help us meet our summer fundraising goal! 💚💚💚💚💚. Links in bio for upcoming events and to DONATE🥰. #sculpture #kentuckyart #thankyou #art #nature #community

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SoundScape! July 12 from 10-2 Y’all!!! @josephinesculpturepark Get your tickets TODAY! Member tickets are FREE 😊 Not a member? No problem! Join today at the link in my bio, or get tickets as a non-member for $15 for adults, $10 kids, 5 and under are also FREE! #familyfun #makearthappen #findyourpark #sculpture #graffiti

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beautiful afternoon at Josephine earlier this week
1. Melanie VanHouten
2. Thomas Putzier
3. Boaz Vaadia
4. Céline Browning
5. Alexander Gelderman
6. Boaz Vaadia (foreground), Mollie Rabiner
7. ↖️

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“A Gift from the Bower” closing reception and opening for “Heard of G.O.A.T.s“ at the Locke Surls Center for Art and Nature was inspiring! It was great to catch up with friends, explore @locke_surls_center, and team up to deinstall “Duyan.”

This swingset sculpture will be traveling to Frankfort, Kentucky in June to be installed at Josephine Sculpture Park!

THANK YOU to @marilou_is_mariko @filipinxartistsofhouston everyone who participated in ideation, creation, installation, swingset seat development, choreography, performances, and engagement in 2023! And THANK YOU to @lornamaza @cyril.maza @art_dtv @jjohnson_studios for their deinstall superpowers 🥰🙏

THANK YOU to all the participating Bower artists, to Xandra Eden and Jack Massing, Charmaine Locke, and James Surls for this unique opportunity and celebrations in 2023 and 2025! And THANK YOU to DiverseWorks for creating this beautiful catalog to remember this significant experience and exhibition.

@josephinesculpturepark @locke_surls_center
@diverseworks
@jamessurls
@diddlyaha
@sharonkopriva
@sherryowens_sculpture
@ronaldllewellynjones
@lina.dib
@budgeceramic7
@kaneem_smith
@altondulaney
@georgetobolowsky
@carloscanul @rgardner87 @john.Calaway
@sampaguitaxsakura @cybilsaenz @tyzabel @christiantoleds @nikki_deo @rcsampilo
@ou_sova @ou.sculpture @oufinearts
#sculpture #swingset #performanceart #welding #woodworking #community #outdoorart #salamat #filipinx

https://giftfromthebower.org/

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