See Monumental Outdoor Art Installations at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Musuem

The winding drive along state Route 128, where it traces the Great Miami River south of Hamilton, is as predictable as any rural Ohio route. That is until a 50-foot explosion of bright red steel, like a handful of giant pick-up sticks suspended in the air, enters the scene.

This imposing geometric sculpture, “Passage,” marks the entrance to Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum. Visitors literally pass beneath it to access the park, where nature and art commingle across 470 acres of rolling green hills and oak-hickory forest.

Pyramid Hill is home to more than 70 contemporary outdoor sculptures. These monumental pieces dot the landscape with unexpected pops of color and texture. Standing before “Age of Stone,” a collection of granite rock forms evoking Stonehenge, one can also view glimpses of “The Web” (a geometric tangle of orange steel), “Falline Flora” (a fountain-like abstract of blue steel), and “Halfmoon Lake” a sculpture of a horse made from what appears to be driftwood but is, unbelievably, bronze). This striking juxtaposition is what makes Pyramid Hill truly unique. 

“We really are so different because of our natural setting,” says executive director Sarah Templeton Wilson. “We have hills, vistas and hiking trails, but you can also see contemporary sculpture.”

The best way to view the collection is via an Art Cart, which can be rented at the Visitor Center. Follow the paved Gallery Loop Road or venture on foot  to view isolated works, such as “Abracadabra,” up close.

Not to be missed are the rotating exhibits at the Gallery Museum and the permanent collection of ancient Greek, Roman, Syrian and Egyptian antiquities on display in the Pyramid House, once home to philanthropist, art enthusiast and Pyramid Hill founder Harry T. Wilks. 

Wilks built his iconic house — named for its Louvre-like glass pyramid atrium — in the early 1990s on 40 acres of land. He continued to expand his property with adjacent parcels to protect the area from private development and preserve it for future generations.

“He was very prescient in that way,” Templeton Wilson says. “He saw it was one of the most beautiful places in Hamilton and wanted to make sure it would remain part of the natural landscape as the city continued to grow and develop.”

Now, Pyramid Hill is a haven not only for art lovers but nature lovers too. It offers two hiking trails, numerous lakes, picnic areas and a Hopewell cultural site featuring 2,000-year-old Indigenous earthworks.

“It’s calming,” Templeton Wilson says. “If you’re stressed about the world, you can take a break and wander.” 

1763 Hamilton Cleves Rd., Hamilton 45013, 513/868-8336, pyramidhill.org

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