This Junk Garden In Illinois Is An Absolute Treasure
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published April 04, 2018
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
One person’s trash is another’s treasure. That certainly applies to the most incredible sculpture park you’ll ever come across in the Prairie State. Tucked away in the hills of Galena sits what some might call a junk garden that is definitely more art than garbage.
Featuring sculptures made from scrap metal, spare parts, and a wealth of other bits and pieces, this is certainly the most interesting thing you’ll find in the whole town. Scroll on for more details.
West Street Sculpture Park will blow you away. Located in the charming river town of Galena, this garden of metal opened in 1986 and features the artwork of John Martinson. His steel sculptures are larger than life and impossible to forget.
The building pictured above is the on-site studio where Martinson works on his art throughout the day. Feel free to stop in and say, "Hello!"
This junk garden sits on two acres and consists of multiple paths through the woods where guests will come across bridges, steps, steep inclines and declines, as well as secret trails.
Check out a full map of this expansive place here. Print-outs are available onsite. Be sure to wear good walking shoes.
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There are dozens of sculptures to admire at West Street Sculpture Park. You'll find two 40-foot towers, a giant tinker toy, unique signs, and much more to admire.
The artist, John Martinson, was born in Minnesota in 1948 and studied art at the University of Wisconsin in the mid-1970s, shortly after which he moved to Galena to operate a blacksmith shop and gallery.
His artwork is inspiring and humorous, and each piece is accompanied by a title that gives it more meaning. The art is controversial in that some think it's junk and others know it to be treasure. Either way, it is most definitely a stunning display of art and nature coming together.
