Project Name: Speed Outdoors
Location:
Louisville, KY
Size:
6 acres
Description:
In 2025, the Speed Art Museum will unveil Speed Outdoors, a six-acre public sculpture park designed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture. This new addition follows recent acquisitions aimed at expanding the museum’s collection of outdoor sculptures.
Speed Outdoors will enrich the cultural landscape of Louisville, Kentucky, known for the Kentucky Derby and the iconic Louisville Slugger. It will offer a space for respite and recreation, hosting concerts, fitness activities, classes, and other programming. To support the local ecosystem, the park will feature 150 native trees and bee-friendly vegetation.
The Speed Outdoors embodies the museum’s vision of inclusivity, belonging, and creativity. Inspired by the Olmsted brothers’ dream of connecting Louisville through public parklands, it will provide a restorative green space for the community to engage with art, nature, and each other.
Among the inaugural sculptures are a lacquered cast aluminum bench by Zaha Hadid, Mark Handforth’s massive Silver Wishbone, a monolithic concrete installation by Sol LeWitt, and two chairs made of rocks and steel rods designed by Kulapat Yantrasast. These artworks will be accessible via meandering pathways surrounded by native plantings and grassy areas.
Speed Outdoors is a collaborative effort between the Speed Art Museum and the University of Louisville. A $22 million capital campaign has funded the park’s construction and ongoing operations. Upon opening in 2025, it is expected to attract 500,000 visitors annually.
