Art for All: Speed Art Museum Unveils Free Outdoor Art Park

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 2, 2025) – The Speed Art Museum opened its new Elizabeth P. and Frederick K. Cressman Art Park, a three-acre landscape surrounding the Museum that brings the power of art into the open air.

Featuring large-scale contemporary sculptures, native landscapes, and 150 new trees, the Art Park provides daily public access, a free and welcoming space for reflection, discovery, and connection right in the heart of one of Louisville’s most varied and vibrant neighborhoods, Old Louisville. This neighborhood is known for having the largest collection of restored Victorian homes in the country and is the third largest Historic Preservation District in the United States.

This ambitious, $22 million project is the centerpiece of Speed Outdoors, the Museum’s capital campaign to expand access to art and landscape while reimagining what a museum can be. Rooted in the belief that art belongs to all, the Art Park brings the Speed’s mission outdoors—sparking curiosity, enriching well-being, and strengthening community.

The Art Park is designed by Reed Hilderbrand, an acclaimed landscape architecture firm and a leading voice in the design of cultural institutions, having guided the growth and change of destinations such as the Storm King Art Center, the Clark Art Institute, and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Located at the crossroads of several neighborhoods and the University of Louisville campus, the Art Park creates equitable access to open space and cultural experiences. The shady, treed terrace is a welcoming respite for all visitors, with comfortable furnishings and charging stations to support varied uses from solo study to communal gatherings.

“Our approach to the landscape was shaped by the Speed’s deep history, expansive collection and its bold vision for a more interconnected community,” said John Kett, Managing Principal of Reed Hilderbrand. “We drew inspiration from Louisville’s Olmsted Park System, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, which placed public parks at the heart of civic life. The Art Park builds on this city-shaping legacy to create a place where past and future meet through experiences."

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