The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Adds A Puzzling Addition To Their Sculpture Garden

Where can you go for some fun and free family entertainment in Kansas City?  Try the new outdoor labyrinth at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Located in the southeast section of the Nelson's Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, this exciting addition is hard to miss.  It has 1-inch glass walls which are 7 foot high.  The walkways are 43 inches wide, and the entire sculpture weighs more than 400 tons.  

As you approach the entrance to the labyrinth, there is a Nelson staff member there to assist visitors and advise you to keep your hands free during your walk through the exhibit - and I quickly found out why.

I had planned on shooting video while working my way through this life-sized puzzle, but I quickly found that I couldn't really do it.  If I didn't have my hands out in front of me to feel the glass walls, I kept walking into them.  By about the third time I walked into the glass, I felt like a fool, but I was also laughing out loud and having a great time because I was watching everyone else do the same thing.

The labyrinth was designed by Kansas City native and international artist Robert Morris, who has long been interested in ancient art forms, and purchased with help from the Hall Family Foundation.  

One thing that creator Morris wants you to consider as you move through his disorienting space is, "Is your experience a metaphor for negotiating the uncertainties of our time?"  

The labyrinth opened on May 22.  It is a permanent exhibit and takes approximately 10 minutes to maneuver through it.  

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is located at 4525 Oak.  There is both street and garage parking, and their hours are:

Wednesdays 10-5
Thursdays and Saturdays 10-9
Sundays 10-5.
Closed on Monday and Tuesday.