“Harry’s legacy for the park and the community lives on as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary this year. This incredible asset belongs to the community now, and we have Harry to thank for that. We hope you will join us on this day to remember a great philanthropist and to explore all that Pyramid Hill has to offer,” said Bryan Knicely, executive director at Pyramid Hill.
The park is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Harry really loved bringing people to art and nature. That’s our mission statement, and we continue and try to honor him by making the park free that day so anybody can come in and view all the sculptures, and the Ancient Sculpture Museum,” said Zach Robinson, program manager at Pyramid Hill.
Wilks, a Miami University alum, was a prominent lawyer in Hamilton County who actively served the community through various philanthropic endeavors. He had a passion for art, sculpture and nature. In 1986, Wilks first purchased a 40-acre property to build his home, which has now become the Pyramid House. Later, he purchased additional land, and converted the property into Pyramid Hill, a 300-plus acre nonprofit sculpture park and museum. Wilks brought joy to many, sharing his love of art and nature. He passed away in 2014 on his 89th birthday.
“This originally started as an area he built his home on, and it grew and grew as his interest in ancient statues grew. So, it’s really just in the spirit of him giving back to the community. In the same way he would give so much to art, we are giving to the community some of that art,” Robinson said.
Attracting more than 30,000 visitors annually, the park is the only one of its kind in the world with over 80 monumental outdoor sculptures. The park also features an Ancient Sculpture Museum that displays Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Syrian and Egyptian sculpture dating to 1550 BCE.
“It’s the start of Spring. The park is beautiful at this time of year with the ending of winter. Everything outside is starting to come back to life and seeing everything in that spring renewal for free is so pleasant,” Robinson said.
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