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On May 21, 2006, my wife and I were in Columbus, Ohio. We had attended a wedding in Columbus on the 20th, and before we left the city, we made a point to stop at “Old Deaf School Park”. The park is located on the East side of Columbus, just inside the main highway that encircles the city.

What makes “Old Deaf School Park” unique is that it is a Topiary Park. This means all of the sculptures in the park are made of shrubbery. In this particular park, the sculptures are arranged to create a topiary version of Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday Afternoon on Ile de La Grande Jatte”. The painter, and this painting, are the subject of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Sunday in the Park with George.”

So, we literally spent Sunday in the park ‘with George’!

Here are some pictures I took in the park along with a small description of each. A link for the park’s website is below.

This is the main sign telling you how to observe the garden:

Following the directions from the previous sign, here is the bronze replica of the painting on the easel at the top of the hill.

Now, here is the topiary version of the painting. We were there in the bright early morning, so the sculpture isn’t as dramatic from this view. However, you can still see the similarities to the painting.

Here’s a dramatic view from the “back” of the sculpture. In other words, imagine the previous photo taken from the opposite side!

Finally, this is me posing next to two of the sculptures. This gives you some idea of the size of the sculptures, and therefore the garden, too.

Visit the website of Old Deaf School Park to see the topiary version of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Ile de La Grande Jatte”. When you’re in Columbus, Ohio, see the garden in person! It’s absolutely FREE!

As always, thanks for reading!

David Caban
Producer/Host of Sunday Matinee