“It is [a] time for our community to [come] back together and work to help relive that wonderful time when a small Texas town got on the map,” said Diane Williams, Liberty Hill City Council member. “[Liberty Hill’s] citizens, young and old, were exposed to different cultures from around the world [at the symposium], and people put their differences aside to make this community proud. It is about celebrating that great time in our town.”
Local artist Mel Fowler organized Liberty Hill’s International Sculpture Park Symposium in 1976 following trips to Europe and interactions with the larger sculpting community. The event attracted sculptors from around the world, where they created pieces for the city’s first sculpture exhibit at Veteran’s Park downtown. In 1977, the city won a Texas Arts Award for the symposium.
Today, the park is located at Lion’s Foundation Park, near Louine Noble Elementary School, and is maintained by the Liberty Hill Development Foundation. Together with the city, the foundation hosts the festival, to which Liberty Hill has contributed $25,000 annually since 2022.
Some of the park’s works have attracted attention from the Smithsonian. The museum reached out about acquiring Ann Merck’s sculpture Western Vision in 1987, according to Liberty Hill historian Gary Spivey. Discussions were revived in 2021 and are still ongoing.
About the festival:
- $25,000 in yearly funding from Liberty Hill
- 3,000 visitors annually (approximately)
- 70 vendors
- 11 live demo artists
- $500 stipends for participating sculpture artists
In addition to celebrating the sculpture festival, the Liberty Hill Development Foundation maintains a museum at Lions Foundation Park that displays artifacts and historical documents related to the city’s history. The 1,500-square-foot center, located at 355 Main St., displays Liberty Hill’s 1977 Texas Arts Award as well as recordings by Fowler.
“[The museum] is for Liberty Hill’s history,” Spivey said. “Of course, the Sculpture Park is one of the big [pieces] of our history.”
Past and future
- 1976: First International Sculpture Park Symposium in Liberty Hill
- 1977: Liberty Hill wins Texas Arts Award for symposium
- 1987: International Sculpture Park established
- 2021: City of Liberty Hill begins funding Liberty Hill Sculpture Festival
- 2026: 50th anniversary of International Sculpture Park Symposium
At this year’s festival, Sandsational Sand Sculpting presented a large dragon-themed sand sculpture. The organization has participated in the festival since 2022 and designs a new and unique piece each year, having created Texas-inspired sculptures and fall-themed scenes in past years, founder Jill Harris said.
“We love this festival,” Harris said. “All the vendors are fantastic. The music’s good. It’s just such a great variety of art and sculpture.”
Harris noted the variety of materials utilized by different artists at the festival, including sand, stone and ice, and noted that she felt the atmosphere was “warm and friendly.” The organization plans to participate in the festival’s 50th anniversary celebration next year but is keeping design ideas under wraps to surprise festivalgoers in October, Harris said.
“The community is excited,” Harris said. “If you’re going to create art, what a great place to do it in such a warm and friendly atmosphere.”
Plans for the 50th anniversary of the symposium are currently underway, Williams said.
“We look forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary next year,” Williams said. “We are hoping to recreate the event at its original location downtown with a weeklong mini symposium so people can experience that event firsthand on a smaller scale, culminating the event, of course, with the festival itself at the park.”
For more information on artists and the event, visit www.lhsculptures.com.
