KENT — A lot once targeted for a town park and visitors center is destined instead to be an international sculpture park.
Bill Morrison, owner of Morrison Gallery in Kent, plans to display works of prominent sculptors on the 1.6 acre parcel at 60 North Main St.
“Once the snow comes off this spring we will be developing the site as a sculpture park,” said Morrison’s father, Eliot Morrison, who purchased the parcel.
“For me, the lot is an investment for my great-granddaughter, Bill’s granddaughter,” Morrison added. “The purchase was a good value and Bill has clients who are interested in showing at the park from all over the world.”
The Morrison Gallery, 8 Old Barn Road, opened in 1998 and exhibits art work and sculpture of emerging regional artists and contemporary and modern masters. The 7,000-square-foot main gallery allows for exhibiting major works while the adjoining rooms offer a more intimate setting for smaller pieces.
“I’ve got a lot of support from people in town,” Bill Morrison said of his plans for the North Main Street parcel. “Plans are still being decided.”
Morrison has placed large sculptures throughout Kent’s downtown already. The most recent display is called “Roots on 7″ by Bucks County, PA. artist Steve Tobin. when the pieces went up in the summer, Morrison said they were the beginning of an annual extension of the gallery’s summer exhibition program to be called “Sculpture on 7.”
In May 2015, the gallery in conjunction with the Broadway Mall Association and Nyc Parks are placing sculptor Don Gummer’s works along Broadway.
In 2011-12, Morrison landed a sculpture exhibition in the Broadway Mall in NYC of works by Kent sculptor Peter Woytuk.
“Steel Roots” by Bucks County, PA, artist Steve Tobin on display in Kent by Morrison Gallery