Bernheim Arboretum
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a 57 km² arboretum in Clermont , Kentucky , south of Louisville , Kentucky, USA .
The Bernheim Forest was founded in 1929 by Isaac Wolf Bernheim , a German immigrant whose whiskey distillery introduced the IW Harper brand. IW Bernheim bought the land in 1928, landscape architecture firm Frederick Law Olmsted began designing the park in 1931, and it opened in 1950. Bernheim Forest was donated to the Kentucky residents as a foundation.
In 1988, a consulting firm was hired, the results of which led to the emphasis being placed on the arboretum, Bernheim Forest was renamed Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest.
The area basically consists of two parts, the arboretum and the park. 56 km of hiking trails criss-cross the area:
In 2005 a new, ecologically built visitor center was opened. The building was awarded the LEED Award.
The arboretum
The arboretum covers 0.97 km² with more than 1,900 marked trees and shrubs. It contains one of the best collections of holly (Ilex opaca) in North America, with more than 185 varieties.
Arts in Nature
There are at least 15 sculptures on the Bernheim site. The artist-in-residence program offers 1–2 artists accommodation and work opportunities each year, while the Sited @ Bernheim program enables installations.
The following sculptures have been handed over to Bernheim over the years:
- Earth Measure, Matt Weir, 2013
- Crawling, Red and White, Heike Endemann , 2013
- Snake Hollow, Patrick Dougherty, 2012
- Insight, Heike Endemann , 2011
- Hello, Russell Vogt, 2009
- Untitled, Jerry Bleem, 2002
- Emerging, Meg White, 1988
- Untitled, Tom Butch, 1988
- Our Precious Forest, Karl Ciesluk, 1988
- Knitting by Karl Ciesluk, 1988
- Untitled, Paul Fields (1940-2004), 1980
- Cluster III, Ernest Shaw, 1976