Steve Tobin's outdoor exhibition IN THE LIGHT opens at Tyler Arboretum on Friday, October 16. It brings more than 50 sculptures to 24 sites across the arboretum's 650 acres on Painter Road. It stays up through October 2027, and you don't need a separate ticket. Regular admission covers it, and members get in free.
The show is named for light, and it opens 16 days before Tyler cuts its daily hours. Tyler has planned its guided tours around sunrise and sunset. It also describes the show as something that will look different in each season, so opening weekend shows the autumn version and return visits show the rest.
What Arrives on Painter Road Friday
Tobin was raised on the Main Line, and according to Tyler's announcement, this is the first time he has shown his work in his native Philadelphia region. His studios are in Quakertown. His work has been shown in Osaka, Maui, Houston and Beidaihe, China. His New York Roots on Broadway was voted Best Public Art in NYC in 2025.
Tyler highlights three of his series in the show:
| Series | What it is | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Steel Roots | Twisting steel forms rising out of the ground | Up to 30 feet tall |
| Bronze Roots | Bronze works that bring underground root systems into view | Life-sized |
| Clouds | Mirror-polished steel that reflects the visitor and the surroundings | Placed among garden plantings |
The pieces are meant to be handled. Tyler's release invites visitors to "touch them, lie down beneath them, sit inside them" and to watch the light and shadow move across them.
The number of sites has changed. The Delaware County Daily Times and Tyler's August release both said 15. Tyler's current exhibition page and ticket portal say 24. The official materials don't yet say which works stand at which sites, so the best way to find them is to walk Tyler's paths.
Opening Weekend, Hour by Hour
The official launch is Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's open to all ages and you don't need to register, though non-members still need general admission.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days: exhibition guides are stationed around the grounds.
- 11 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2 p.m., Saturday only: Tobin signs books in Lucille's Edible Garden.
- Noon to 4 p.m., both days: food and drink vendors set up in Lucille's Edible Garden.
The vendors are all local:
- Mini Millie's Pasta Cart, with fresh pasta
- Sweet Amelia's, with pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw and mac and cheese
- Ship Bottom Brewery, with beer
- John Robert Cellars, with wine
- Middle Brother Coffee Roasters, arriving at 10 a.m. on Sunday only
- Tyler Arboretum's own stand, with soft pretzels, chocolate chip cookies and nonalcoholic drinks
If you want the coffee and the signing on the same visit, you'll need two trips. The coffee comes only on Sunday and the signing happens only on Saturday.
On November 1, the Gates Close at 4
Tyler runs on two schedules. From April through October it's open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. From November through March it closes at 4 p.m. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
So the exhibition gets 16 days of 6 p.m. closings before November 1, when two hours come off every afternoon. Anyone hoping to see the Clouds pieces in late-afternoon light has until the end of October to do it on the long schedule. After that, those hours belong to the guided tours.
The Tour Calendar Follows the Sun
Tyler's guided tours for IN THE LIGHT are listed by time of day. The arboretum calls them daytime, extended, sunset and sunrise tours. All of them require preregistration and are for adults, or adults with teens 15 and older.
| Date | Start | Tour |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Oct. 25 | 10 a.m. | Guided Tour |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | 1 p.m. | Extended Tour |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Sunset Tour |
| Sunday, Nov. 22 | 6 a.m. | Sunrise Tour |
| Sunday, Nov. 29 | 10 a.m. | Guided Tour |
Two of these fall outside regular hours. The Nov. 22 Sunrise Tour starts at 6 a.m., three hours before Tyler usually opens. The Nov. 7 Sunset Tour starts at 3:30 p.m., half an hour before the posted 4 p.m. closing on the winter schedule. Both are scheduled for the edges of the day, when regular November hours don't reach.
The Nov. 1 Extended Tour falls on the first day of the 4 p.m. schedule and starts at 1 p.m. Tyler says more exhibition programs and events will be announced over the coming year, so this list covers only the first stretch.
Four Seasons Means Four Visits
Tyler's exhibition page sorts the year into Autumn Color, Winter Stillness, Spring Blooms and Summer Canopy. The release says the run lets visitors see the works in each of those seasons. Mirrored steel among bare winter branches will look nothing like the same piece in June shade.
Tobin speaks to that in his statement, as quoted by the Delaware County Daily Times:
"My work digs into the hidden power of root systems and the forces of nature, and that's a conversation Tyler's already having with every visitor who walks its pathways. Coming home to do this, here with my neighbors and family, is a dream realized."
In the same article, Interim Executive Director Kathryn Ombam pointed to regulars as well as newcomers: "Both first-time visitors and our longtime Tyler supporters will experience new ways to engage with our beloved arboretum."
What a Year of Visits Costs
You pay nothing extra for the show itself. Tyler's hours and admission page lists walk-up general admission at $18 for adults 18 to 64, $15 for seniors 65 and up, and $10 for ages 3 to 17. Children 2 and under are free. If you buy online in advance, those prices drop to $16, $13 and $8. In person, Tyler also sells $15 tickets to veterans and $10 tickets to active military and students, with ID.
Seeing the show once per season adds up fast. At current walk-up prices, four adult visits cost $72, or $64 if you buy online. A household of two adults and one child would pay $184 at the gate over those four visits, before counting any return trips for programs announced later. Members get in free every day without tickets. Our research didn't confirm current membership tier prices, so check those on Tyler's membership page before doing the math for your own household.
Tyler Has Built Around Art Before
This isn't the first time Tyler has handed its grounds to outside makers. Its treehouses go back to 2008, when it invited regional artists, makers and architects to submit designs for an exhibit called Totally Terrific Treehouses. Several are still standing, including the Crooked Goblin Shack, Thoreau's Cabin, Strummin' and Drummin', and Fort Tyler. They are usually open from April through November.
IN THE LIGHT takes a different approach. It's one artist, his work comes back to his home region, and it's scheduled to run for about a year. The exhibition is backed by the Visit Delco Tourism Grant Program and other donors. The Delaware County Arts Consortium calendar lists October 31, 2027 as the closing date, while Tyler's own page just says October 2027. Either way, it closes in October, the same month it opens. A visit next fall would show the Steel Roots against the same autumn color they open with on Friday.
Have a question about Tyler, Painter Road or anything else around Media? Ask Worthington and get a fast, local answer from people who keep track of what's opening nearby.