Circle Museum – Hillsdale, New York - Atlas Obscura

One era’s forgotten pieces is another era’s treasure, and it often falls to artists like Bijan to facilitate the transition.

Bijan’s Circle Museum consists of eight whimsical acres on the side of a mountain filled with more than a hundred metal sculptures made from the scraps of yesteryear. The sculpture garden is circle-themed because life, the planet, the Sun, and the Moon are circular, and that is what inspires Bijan.

Bijan has lived and created at this location for more than 30 years. Some of his art is straight forward, like a sculpture of an eagle with iron feathers or a few sculptures that seem to blend into their forested environment. Some is more abstract, like a Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates sign sitting atop crisscrossed metal pipes.

Oil paintings by Bijan, also circle-themed, have their own gallery amidst the sculptures. There is also an outdoor living room with tub-based furniture: chairs made of a tub cut in half, and a coffee table that is an upside down tub.

There’s no set entry fee, but at the entrance is a donation box made from a re-purposed fish tank. Bijan used to get his scrap metal for free, but now often has to pay by the pound, so supporting his work is a good idea for those who have enjoyed it.

Know Before You Go

Bijan is kind of a hermit. We were lucky to visit during a summer-time weekday. His prices are negotiable, and I forgot to mention that he paints as well! He is not on the internet, but you can search Instagram with #circlemuseum and you'll find images from enthusiastic visitors to the park. 

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