For many months now, I have thought about visiting the Hall Office Park, which is home to a unique collection of art. The brainchild of lifelong art collector, Craig Hall, this eponymous office space is built around a veritable museum of sculptures. Spread over a four-acre lot and superbly displayed amidst settings of serene lakes, beautiful landscaping, winding trails, small bridges, and tranquil water fountains, the Texas Sculpture Garden is the tall drink of water after a long Texan summer day.
The artwork comes in all colors, shapes, sizes, dimensions, and is made of all kinds of material, from steel and bronze to cement and stone. The sculptures address all manners of subjects, from such sublime ones like maternal caress to mundane like time management, to rabbits, camels and spirits!
I liked the way the colors and the materials of the sculptures came together in their unique location. Although we were just a short distance from the busy Dallas North Tollway, the garden felt separated from the outside world. The beautiful evening, the happily dancing fountains, the calming breeze added a spirit of liveliness to the immobile sculptures. People were fishing from the lakes and ponds scattered around. Families walked with strollers, pushing babies as older children dawdled on the trail. The colorful seating arrangements with their modern style caught our attention. The rocks expertly woven within the lakes served as seating as well as great accessories for photos.
Some of my favorite pieces were the Reincarnation of Farmer Bradly, Maternal Caress, H.O.P. Rabbits, Wandering, The Arbor, and Prairie Falls. I especially enjoyed the work of Dominic Benhura, who chose to bend stone to create a group of playful children. I would never have thought stone to be so pliable!! And yet, the carved stone seemed to leap, swing and cavort through the air!!
The artwork is divided into exterior and interior art. We visited the exterior one and are yet to make a trip to visit the rest inside the building. The exterior is open from dawn to dusk, every day. The interior art is open on weekdays, from 9 am to 5 pm.
Hall Park is located at 6801 Gaylord Parkway, Frisco, TX 75034. The Texas Sculpture Garden is free to visit. Photography “for non- commercial purposes” is allowed. I was able to download art information onto my phone from the website. A free app called “Otocast”, also carries information about the art and artists. I did not try this app.
If you haven’t already done so, visit the Texas Sculpture Garden this summer. It’s beautiful, it’s free, and it’s worth a visit, or three! Enjoy our photo-album, meanwhile!
All photos courtesy of Missy JJ.