The Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation (BCF) held a groundbreaking ceremony on October 7, marking the start of construction on Longleaf Art Park, a transformative cultural destination in Walton County, Florida. The 15.5-acre public art park and pavilion is designed by OLI Architecture and will be anchored by the late artist Richard Serra’s monumental sculpture Passage of Time.
Plans for Longleaf Art Park were first announced in 2024, when BCF unveiled a vision for a dynamic cultural space that unites Serra’s work with the natural landscape of the region. The site’s design, led by OLI Architecture in close collaboration with Serra prior to his passing, emphasizes environmental sensitivity, with construction disturbances minimized to preserve and protect the existing ecosystem.
At the heart of the park will be the late Richard Serra’s sculpture The Passage of Time, which will be housed in a bespoke pavilion designed by OLI Architecture. The 217-foot-long, 540,000-pound installation consists of eight towering weathering steel plates, each 13.5 feet high and two inches thick, arranged in Serra’s signature parallel formation. Visitors will approach the pavilion via a winding path and boardwalk that leads through native flora, berms, and a tranquil pond before entering the glass-walled vestibules that usher them into the sculpture’s immersive environment.
“The park and pavilion are inseparable, designed to feel as though they have always been here. Native plantings recall the land’s history, while concrete facades – cast with the textures of felled pines – capture the passage of time,” said Hiroshi Okamoto of OLI Architecture. “In front, Longleaf pines extend this dialogue in living form. Inside, steel structure and trapezoidal skylights harmonize to create a space suffused with shifting natural light.”
Additional park features will include an outdoor event space and areas designed for future public programming and education. The park will host a range of free, year-round offerings, including workshops, guided tours, community events, and collaborations with local arts organization Cultural Arts Alliance and the Walton County school district. When complete, Longleaf Art Park will provide free and direct access to world-class contemporary art in a setting designed for reflection, discovery, and community engagement.
“Longleaf Art Park is, first and foremost, for the community,” said Chloe Berkowitz, founder of Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation. “Our hope is that it becomes a place where people can slow down, connect with nature, and experience art in a way that feels approachable and meaningful. Walton County’s natural beauty and strong creative spirit make it the perfect home for this project. We hope Longleaf will not only enrich local life but also invite visitors to experience the region’s unique blend of culture, community, and landscape. In that way, it’s more than a destination – it’s a reflection of what makes Walton County so special.”
Richard Serra (1938–2024) was one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, known for radically expanding the possibilities of sculpture. His work, housed in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, emphasized material, space, and the viewer’s embodied experience.
Longleaf Art Park is expected to open in 2026.
