Windsor Sculpture Park

The park was made possible by a donation from Mr. and Mrs. Louis Odette and the P & L Odette Foundation, and for years it was known as the Odette Sculpture Park; the name Windsor Sculpture Park is the more recent one. One document cited by a Culture Days listing dates the original garden to October 1997 and the Odette renaming to September 2001, but those dates come from a single source and are best treated as approximate. The City of Windsor looks after the park, and its conservation page describes sculpture upkeep carried out with the Recreation and Culture and Parks and Facilities departments.

The sculptures sit along the riverfront between the Ambassador Bridge and Festival Plaza, in the stretch of waterfront parkland that runs from Assumption Park toward Centennial Park and the area near the Art Gallery of Windsor. The city counts "over 31" sculptures and says the collection is still growing as donors add new works, while Wikipedia's list names about 35; the difference probably reflects when each count was made. Treat any single number as approximate.

The artists are a mix of Canadian and international sculptors. Wikipedia's inventory credits Leo Mol with Anne, Elisabeth Frink with Flying Men, Sorel Etrog with King and Queen and Space Plough 2, Gerald Gladstone with Morning Flight, Edwina Sandys with Eve's Apple, William McElcheran with Business Man on a Horse, and Pauta Saila with Dancing Bear. There are also lighter, more figurative pieces, including a Triceratops, an Apatosaurus and an Inukshuk. Styles range from abstract steel and stone to realistic bronze animals.

One of the best-loved works is Tembo, a large bronze by Derrick Stephan Hudson showing a mother elephant with two young calves. Wikipedia reports that the City invites residents each year to help wash the bronze elephants with warm water, soap and toothbrushes on "Tembo Day", after which conservation staff apply protective wax before winter. The City's own sculpture park page does not mention the event, so check with the Culture Office for whether it is running in a given year. It is a useful reminder that outdoor bronze needs regular upkeep.

• The park is a walk rather than a destination with a gate, so there is no ticket office; the City describes it as accessible.
• The City also publishes a virtual tour, built as an ArcGIS StoryMap, which tells the stories behind the works and their makers, and a self-guided tour booklet.
• The route is flat and easy, and it pairs naturally with the riverfront paths nearby.
• Weather matters, since there is little shelter along the water; check the City of Windsor Culture Office for current information.

The Art Gallery of Windsor, now Art Windsor-Essex, stands at the eastern end of this stretch at 401 Riverside Drive West, and the Ambassador Bridge to the United States is at the other. For a private tour of Windsor, the park suits a relaxed riverfront stop: Voyzo's private vehicle and driver can drop guests at one end and meet them at the other, so nobody has to retrace the walk.