Explore the Outdoors at the Museum!
First opened more than 30 years ago, the Sweet Gum Trail is open to the public and features a paved trail, man-made pond, native plant garden, and environmental sculpture by Beverly Buchanan.
With the help of Maegan Ennis, the Museum has put together a Sweet Gum Trail Digital Field Notebook that helps us better understand the natural world around us! In this Digital Notebook, you will find a map of the trail, a brief history and description of the Sweet Gum Trail, and educational material on the plant life you will encounter throughout. You can access the notebook here via the image to the left or walk through and scan the QR codes available.
The Sweet Gum trail features several permanent art installations by local and national artists. Read more below to learn about the art and artists behind them.
Beverly Buchanan, 1979
Beverly Buchanan (1940-2015) was born in North Carolina, but spent her adult life in Georgia. She lived and worked in Macon for eight years (1977-1985), during which time she completed several large-scale public projects across the state, including two in Macon: Ruins and Rituals here at the Museum of Arts and Sciences and Unity Stones at the Booker T. Washington Center.
Completed in 1979, Ruins and Rituals comprises four large square footers shaped to resemble cubic sarcophagi and seven smaller cast concrete pieces. Although now faded, the footers were initially stained a variety of subtle colors, mottled lavender and ochre, to play off of the light of the site. The small cast cement pieces, many looking like bricks or dangerous stepping stools, are opportunities to step up and survey the installation's scene from an ever-so-slightly elevated place.
“There is not just one view… The beauty of a piece of sculpture can be found in the inexhaustible number of ways in which and from which the whole piece can be seen. I hope you will visit the sculpture site many times and that each time you approach the area, you know ahead of time that what you glimpse at first look is not all there is to see.” Beverly Buchanan
Buchanan’s artistic career focused on ideas of personal and historical memory, disuse and reuse, monument and gravestone, portraiture and site, and spectrums of visibility and invisibility. Throughout, she considered the possibility for her work to change and shift over time as fundamental to its existence in the world. These changes could be either the effects of the environment on her site-specific cast concrete sculptures or societal shifts that offer new meanings of an older artwork.
Created by a team of regional artists, engineers, and craftsmen, the "Temple of Wonder" sculpture was based on the design concept of Georgia native Jen Upchurch. Please do not climb the structure due to the risk of falling. Climb in, not on!
Alexis Gregg and Tanner Coleman have designed, created, and installed monumental public art works in many U.S. cities as well as in China, Turkey, Taiwan, Australia, and South Korea. In 2012, they established AnT Sculpture and Design to create custom work for public and private spaces, from playgrounds and murals to countertops and columns. Focusing on the intersection of art, industry, and community, the team of Alexis and Tanner specializes in architectural ceramic techniques including concrete and brick carving for public art and permanent installations. Several of their sculptural works can be found on the Museum’s trails and grounds – including an eight-foot armadillo bench, Frog on a Log, the two-seated slider turtle, plus a grouping of giant insects near the Bat Cave.
Use CautionPlease use caution when encountering a wild animal on the trail. Please notify museum staff if there is a safety risk.
Do Not Feed the WildlifeTurtle food can be purchased inside the museum. If you purchase turtle food please dispose of your cups in designated trash cans. Please do not feed any other animals any type of food.
Leave No TraceTake only pictures. Leave only footprints. Please respect all natural spaces.
Be Mindful of the ArtPlease do not damage any of the art installations on the trail. While some pieces may be interactive, please be gentle when engaging with the work.
Monthly programs and seasonal experiences that bring nature lovers together.
Bird Walks are back! Go for a walk on our Sweetgum Trail with Amy Alderman and see which birds you can find!
Spook the whole family! Experience the trail after dark during these haunted trail tours!
