John McKinnon's AtmoSphere is a stone structure you can walk into. It has stood in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest since 2013. On the evening of August 26, the launch crowd met at the Really Big Shoe at the edge of the field and walked into the trees to hear it with a soundtrack for the first time. Composer Nicholas Russell and vocalist Carling Stephen had written a piece in response to the sculpture, made from field recordings, composed music and voice. Visitors can play it on a smartphone while standing at the stones.
Seven weeks later, on Saturday, October 10, the forest named Russell its new curator. He is only the second person to hold the job.
That order of events matters. The forest's 25th anniversary had already started bringing music and movement onto the trail. Now the person who made its newest sound piece will decide what comes next.
A Handover After 25 Years
Jim Blake had been curator since the Sculpture Forest was founded in 2001. He is retiring from the role but staying on as an advisor. Blake worked with board chair Barb Bolin and the rest of the board to find his replacement. In The Highlander's report on the appointment, he pointed to Russell's "care and understanding of multidisciplinary art, in tandem with his experience in performance and artistic collaboration."
Many in the village already know Russell from Haliburton Guitar Studio, the business he opened in 2017. He told The Highlander that Blake helped him get the studio running, and he described Blake as a mentor and a friend. He also said the job needs more than art history:
"It's a very specific job because it requires not only an understanding of sculptures and classical and contemporary art, but also deep networking roots in the community – I feel I've established that last part through my business, performing as a musician and being involved in different things."
He takes over a collection of 47 sculptures and seven artistic benches along a trail of about 1.4 kilometers. The Highlander reports that it typically draws 40,000 visitors a year. According to the same report, Russell usually walks it at least once a week.
The Anniversary Week Already Pointed This Way
The Sculpture Forest Alive 25 celebration ran from Monday, August 24, to Sunday, August 30, 2026. It was based at 297 College Drive, home of Fleming College's Haliburton School of Art + Design. Read day by day, the program has a clear lean toward art that unfolds over time and with people.
- Monday: Artists Scott Walling and Rose Pearson held an "Art Happening" at Art Hut #3. Visitors added their own 5-by-5-inch paper collages to a shared installation, which the two artists kept rearranging.
- Tuesday: Outreach coordinator Lorry Brandon and Sculpture Forest Ambassador Brody Bolger led a free guided tour.
- Wednesday: Mairéad Filgate gave a talk on creative practice and collective well-being in the Great Hall, followed by the Atmo-Sphere launch at the sculpture.
- Thursday: Blake and Bolger led the Odyssey Tour, which visited six sculptures connected to Greek myths, folktales, creation stories and lore.
- Friday: Lynda Shadbolt and Myra Stephen led Circle of Qi, a quiet walk with Qigong at several sculptures. Donations went to Brooksong Retreat & Cancer Support Centre.
- Saturday: Five new sculptures were formally inducted. Each stop included a short dance and music performance by Mairéad Filgate, Shannon Kingsbury, Nick Russell, Bethany Houghton and Andrea Lithgow.
- Sunday: Sculpture Forest ALIVE closed the week with two site-specific performances combining original songs, choreography, visual art and sound collage.
Russell performed on two of those days and composed for a third. When The Highlander asked about his priorities as curator, he said he wants to bring more performance-based art into the forest.
Five Pieces Newer Than Late 2024
The collection has grown along with the programming. If your regular loop has become routine, these are the newest stops. All five were part of the August 29 induction, a walk of about half a kilometer.
- Happy Hippo by Nyasha Mabika, installed November 30, 2024.
- Quadratic Whisper by George Hart, installed October 4, 2025.
- Superior by Scott Childs, installed the same day.
- Friends by Marlene Kawalez, installed May 1, 2026.
- A Life Well Lived by Annette Blady and Al Van Mil, installed August 29, 2026, the day of the induction.
That makes five installations in under two years, at a steady pace. Russell has said that pace counts as success: "Every year, if there are a few sculptures added, then that's a great success."
Two older pieces are worth seeking out now that you know who is choosing the next ones. One is AtmoSphere, the piece Russell calls his favorite, which now has its own score. The other is Das Buch XXIII, a steel book by Marianne Reim. It first appeared in the downtown sculpture exhibition in 2019. Russell told The Highlander he likes it because it "belies expectation": open the book and it reads "emptiness."
Walking It Once the Snow Arrives
The forest stays open through winter, and it works differently in the cold months. Here is what the forest's own FAQ and winter page say:
- Hours and footing: Glebe Park is open dawn to dusk. The trails are compacted gravel or earth, not paved. Some sculptures have steps, and you can skip one steep section by taking the lower trail.
- Walking and snowshoeing: Both are free on the colour-coded paths through the Sculpture Forest. There are also kilometers of marked snowshoe trails north of the museum in Glebe Park. You can borrow snowshoes for free from the Haliburton Highlands Museum, but check its hours or call ahead.
- Ice: The forest warns that paths can get very icy and recommends walking poles and grippers on your boots.
- Sharing the loop: Walkers, skiers and snowshoers all use the Sculpture Forest loop. The forest asks walkers to step aside so skiers can pass.
- Nordic skiing: The Sculpture Forest and Glebe Park trails are groomed once there is enough snow. Glebe Park has 13.5 kilometers of ski trails, and the lit loop through the Sculpture Forest is open for skiing until 9 p.m. The forest trails suit novices. The upper Glebe Park trails are rated "very challenging."
- Passes: Skiing needs a trail pass from the Haliburton Highlands Nordic Trail and Ski Club Association. Buy one ahead of time or use the self-registration honesty boxes at the trailheads, paying cash or by e-transfer. Ski Haliburton posts current prices and trail conditions.
- Getting there: There is parking at both Glebe Park entrances, and the Head Lake Trail connects the forest to Haliburton Village on foot.
The free Tuesday tours run only in July and August, but the forest offers paid group tours all year. For a self-guided winter walk, the forest's self-guided tour page has sculpture details and artist histories.
Where the Next Pieces Could Come From
No 2027 installations have been announced. Russell has said his first job is to write a curatorial vision for the forest's growth. He has also named the artists he wants to bring in:
"The plan is always to grow… welcoming more Canadian, international and Indigenous artists into the collection."
The downtown show is one place to watch for clues. The 2026 Downtown Haliburton Sculpture Exhibition, a joint project of the Sculpture Forest and the Haliburton Business Improvement Area, ran from June 18 to October 25. According to the call for submissions posted on Akimbo, entries were due May 4, the sculptures had to be original works suitable for outdoor installation, and five entries would be selected. Das Buch XXIII made that same move from a downtown exhibition into the forest. The next downtown call will be the first one issued under the new curator.
At Lakelands Real Estate Co., we keep track of the people and projects shaping life in Haliburton Village, and a new chapter at Glebe Park is one of them. If a winter walk past the new sculptures has you thinking about what your own place in the Highlands is worth this season, Greg McInnis can help. Get your free home valuation.
