The Langlais Art Preserve is a 90-acre art and nature preserve in Cushing, located along River Road at the former homestead of artist Bernard Langlais (1921–1977) and his wife Helen Friend Langlais (1929–2010). Passionate about wood as an expressive medium, and energized by its abundance in his home state, Langlais created a dynamic outdoor exhibition on this land in the 1970s, rooted in place and inspired by Maine timber and wildlife. The present-day Preserve showcases more than a dozen of the artist’s large-scale outdoor wood sculptures—remnants of that expansive art environment—including his sentinel Horse (1966), his portrait-homage to Christina Olson, Local Girl (1968), and not one but two giant wood elephants (1970s). Weaving through fields and past heritage fruit trees, ponds, and rocky ledges, the Preserve's quarter-mile ADA-accessible Sculpture Path provides a route around the art, while the Woodland Trail traverses the mixed forest beyond. 

​

Open in all seasons from dawn to dusk, the Preserve grounds are welcome to visitors for recreation and enjoyment of the Sculpture Path. From June to October, the Langlais Barn Studio is open to the public, with a community artmaking space, an historical film, and the artist’s intact workshop. The Teaching Studio, a renovated former studio of Langlais’s, houses the land trust’s Creative Nature Programs—artist-led workshops, retreats, and youth camps that foster wonder, curiosity, and care for nature through art.

 

Conservation History

The Langlais Art Preserve was established in 2017 through a partnership between Georges River Land Trust, Colby College, and Kohler Foundation, Inc. For a full history, click here. 

Trails
Sculpture Path

From the parking lot, users can access the quarter mile accessible trail which showcases many of the sculptures on the preserve. On the back side of the trail loop there are two fields with picnic tables, more sculptures to view, and mowed areas to picnic. This trail also provides access to the artists workshop, which is seasonally open to the public. 

Length: 0.25 miles

Width: 3 feet

Surface: ⅜ inch angular aggregate

Obstacles: Seasonally soft tread, narrow trail in places

Woodland Trail

The Langlais Woodland Trail can be accessed from two points on the accessible trail. This trail features both hardwood and softwood forests, old white pines, maples, and wetlands throughout the 70 acres behind the Langlais Homestead. The trail has many bridge crossings, a 300 ft boardwalk, benches at various points, seasonal streams, and a picnic pavilion overlooking frog ponds. It’s made up of different sized loops where users can hike anywhere from 0.75 miles (Pond Loop) to 2.5 miles if they complete all the available trails. 

Length: 2 miles

Width: 3 feet

Surface: Packed earth, boardwalk

Obstacles: Rocks, roots, uneven ground, bog bridging, seasonally wet areas