CARLE MUSEUM

• Amherst, MA
• 2018
• CLIENT: Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Bobbie’s Garden located at the Eric Carle Museum derives its curvilinear form in direct response to the natural landscape, featuring an organically shaped walk, or “story path”, that winds through a historic apple orchard. Composed of four elements: a story path, sculptural seat walls, an orchard park, and a wildflower meadow, the space provides the museum an elegant open space with limitless flexibility for outdoor programming.

Named in honor of the museum’s late co-founder Barbara Carle, the garden captivates children’s imagination by inviting multiple, impromptu ways to play and interact with the natural world; for adults it provides a contemplative, shady respite. Framing some of the older, distinctly sculptural apple trees, the concrete path moves diagonally through the orchard, orienting views out towards the surrounding landscape, artfully etched to evoke the simple beauty of the drawn line. By restraining the number of elements, the landscape is at once evocative without dominating the vernacular beauty of the orchard itself.

The project was executed in collaboration with Boston-based KMDG. This project commenced at Meyer + Silberberg Land Architects with Ramsey Silberberg as Principal. The project was awarded to Mantle which serves as the Landscape Architect of Record.