In 2019, William King Museum of Art (WKMA) received a transformative gift of paintings and sculpture collected by Gene and Anne Worrell, and a new gallery and landscape to host the collection. The collection’s focus on wildlife complements the museum’s mission to cultivate environmental respect through artistic expression.

Wolf Josey re-envisioned the WKMA museum precinct to integrate the new gallery building and develop a sculpture garden for visitors to engage with the Worrell collection. This transformation presented the opportunity to revise the site’s circulation, improve accessibility, and to create inviting spaces that support the museum’s innovative educational initiatives.

Creating a drop off loop to replace a section of an encircling road allowed the sculpture garden to stitch together the museum buildings and landscape beyond. From the new drop off, visitors filter through a crushed stone grove of Kentucky coffee trees onto the sculpture terrace where they can enter the museum buildings or relax with a meal from the new cafe. An arched seatwall, benches, and cafe tables offer numerous spots to pause and appreciate the sculptures interspersed through the terrace’s paving and planting. Adjacent to the terrace, an accessible path leads visitors through the pollinator garden that rings the terrace, where they have the opportunity to appreciate animal sculptures nestled within native planting.