The Joplin Rotary Sculpture Garden is located at Mercy Park, which sits on the site where St. John’s Regional Medical Center had been since 1968 and was destroyed by the May 22, 2011, EF-5 tornado that crossed one-third of the city. The Park is adjoined to the south by Mercy Chapel Park and to the north by Cunningham Park; the area is considered ground zero for that epic event in Joplin’s history.
The Sculpture Garden results from positive effort following this devastating event, and an individual vision that found common, collective footing. The momentum to bring the Rotary Clubs of Joplin Sculpture Garden from concept to reality came in 2018 through a joint agreement by both Joplin Rotary clubs, the Rotary Club of Joplin and the Daybreak Rotary, along with a partnership with the City of Joplin.
October of 2019, the initial nine bronze sculptures were installed. In 2020 and 2021, three sculptures were added each year, four more in 2022 and nine in 2023. At the conclusion of 2024, the Garden has 30 sculptures on permanent display by fourteen world-renowned artists.
The sculpture garden is open to the public during regular park hours from sunrise to 11 p.m.