Hidden away on a small street in West Palm Beach is the
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens. If the name
sounds familiar it’s because her husband, Ralph Norton, founded the Norton
Museum of Art. She initially came to
Florida to teach art and met Norton at his Art School. The Museum was their home during their
marriage. The Norton House is on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places and is located at 253 Barcelona Road in
West Palm Beach. It’s right on the Intracoastal
with a distant view of Mar-a-Lago across the waterway. There is no parking lot. One just parks on the street. The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens is a
remarkable place to visit with two plus acres of gardens and indoor and outdoor
sculptures.
Who knew? My own
Ann was there originally 15 or 16 years ago but just recently escorted visitors
from Connecticut there and was blown away by the current exhibition. So of course she was determined to take me as
well as very dear friends, Art and Sydelle, who we met on our first Caribbean
cruise 17 years ago. We had lunch and
drove there last weekend. 
Presently there
are two special exhibits in addition to the omnipresent Ann Norton sculpture
pieces: The Lost Bird Project, black bronze sculptures of extinct birds by Todd
McGrain, objects of art which are meant to be touched, stroked, and the birds
remembered. They range from small
sculptures to massive ones for the outdoors.
The other special exhibit is the unforgettable ‘Rising’ The Mystical World of Sophie Ryder, consisting of “Hares
and Minotaurs, strange amorphous figures fashioned in wire and bronze, some
with human attributes are characters beyond human form.” These are large outdoor pieces, many of which
needed cranes to be put in place. It is
spectacular to walk among them, as are some of Ann Norton’s own works,
permanently on display.
It’s one of those places that many locals are not even
aware exists, but definitely should be visited.
