City of Worcester, Massachusetts

Art in the Park 2008

An Exhibition of Sculptures by New England Artists at Elm Park in Worcester, MA
July 1 - October 5, 2008

9. Anne Kamilla Alexander

Windham,ME
Casco Growth
maple, cherry, oak, pine, basswood
5 units up to 62”x 24”x 22”
$2,500

“The organic iconography used in my work suggests themes of germination, growth, cyclic changes and regeneration, all of which relate to our environment as well as human life. By using a group of forms, the pieces visually and physically surround the viewer, making one more aware of one's own body, size, and surrounding space. Each unit is made out of a common tree found in New England, and particularly near the Casco Bay area of Maine where I live.”

Dial 207.893.0264 for purchasing inquiries.

11. James Burnes

Weston,MA
Tashtego
Cor Ten steel, cedar
46”x 58”x 36”
$12,500

“My animals are intended to mix the materials of modern construction with the organic rhythms of nature. They are intended to augment a cityscape while tying the image and viewer to nature. Tashtego strives to draw the viewer in with natural lines and motion, while a closer look exposes a layering of hard edges, materials, and negative space.”

Dial 508.670.6638 for purchasing inquiries.

1. Linc Cornell

Natick,MA
C.M.Y.
painted wooden snow fences
4’ x 100’
$5,000

“Throughout New England, snow fences are used to control drifting snow or blowing beach sand. Instead of trying to disappear into the landscape, my Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow fences capture attention and bring bright colors out of the studio and into the environment. I play with the moiré patterns created by the overlapping patterns; the colors mix, dance and become intertwined as the viewer passes by.”

Dial 508.650.1612 for purchasing inquiries.

7. Fern Cunningham

Hanson,MA
Massai Warrior Adorned
polyester
36”x 20”x 24”
$6,000

“I am fascinated by the dichotomies of movement versus rest, of joy versus sorrow and the many forms of human expression that dominate my life and the lives of those who have gone before me. I feel that it is my duty and my passion to recognize the history and the presence of African Americans, wherever we have and do exist and to create outdoor public art with this focus.”

Dial 617.967.1602 for purchasing inquiries.

13. James Florschutz

Newfane, VT
Where Secrets Lie
hardwood surveyor stakes
10’ x 10’ x 10’
$25,000

“I create assemblage sculptures using diverse resources.My process is a spontaneous, intuitive cadence of layering and editing with the intention of exposing society’s dependence and impact on the environment. By mining surroundings, both natural and domestic, I conduct private archaeological investigations that ultimately overlay order onto a seemingly chaotic world.”

Dial 802.365.7744 for purchasing inquiries.

14. Karla Hargrave

Brookfield, CT
Bound
fabric, bicycles
6’ x 3’ x 3’
$150

“I enjoy how cluttered structures become something new entirely when they were wrapped. They remind me of a modern-day renaissance wonder cabinet or my stuffed to- the-brim closet. In wrapping the pieces, they also become strangely organic and body-like. The pointy, tumor-like, and bulbous protrusions are meant to be humorous, yet create a tension that portrays a level of brutality.”

Dial 203.241.4968 for purchasing inquiries.

2. Matt Evald Johnson

East Hampton,MA
Sentry
forged and fabricated steel, paint
214”x 26”x 38”
$12,500

“Abstraction represents an opportunity for me to enact an unplanned and unchoreographed series of thought and physical undertaking succeeding or not be virtue of the surprise outcome. These sculptures occur in that world that exists immediately around and between the human and its plight-in-process.”

Dial 201.310.3897 for purchasing inquiries.

10. Lynne Laib-Havighurst

Essex,MA
Tree Lines
aluminum, metals, plastic mesh
12’ x 4’ x 1”
$2,200

“This linear composition echoes patterns of movement evident in nature: intersecting tree branches, angular beams of sunlight, shadows cast and dissected - accentuated by the play of light upon cascading metal. The piece is designed to integrate with the natural landscape, using light to catch the eye of the passing viewer.”

Contact treelines@verizon.net for purchasing inquiries.

4. Peter Lipsitt

Boston,MA
Rhythmic Revolution
wood, painted and sealed
6’ x 6’ x 6’
$4,000

“My sculpture most often is constructed improvisationally with the chosen raw materials. I like sculpture that is self-sustaining—stands on its own without extraneous visible support, relates to human scale, and that must be circum-navigated to be understood. It tends to beg the question: Is it functional?”

Dial 617.877.3864 for purchasing inquiries.

16. Thomas Matsuda

Conway,MA
Purification
wood, fire
3 units, 5’ to 5’ 8”
$5,000

“Charred wood and blackened earth conjure up ideas of life, death, and rebirth, as well as the burning away of illusions and desires—a reference to the fierce deities of Tibetan Buddhism that represent cutting through or overcoming our desires. Yet it can also be seen as a reminder of war, destruction of the earth, corruption within ourselves, and the close relationship between purification and destruction. Fire, air, water, earth, and space are the five elements in eastern culture.”

Dial 413.552.2492 for purchasing inquiries.

6. Joyce McDaniel

Boston,MA
Flight Pattern
steel mesh, dressmaker pattern
paper, aluminum frame
6’ x 8’ x 8’
$8,000

“Patterns seem an unlikely sculptural material, but when combined with steel mesh, layered patterns replete with black lines, marks, and text become a translucent, map like membrane that is resilient, yet fragile; delicate, yet dynamic. Patterns come from a domestic realm of women, yet carry meaning far beyond fashion. Steel is associated with a more masculine industrial realm.My sculpture counts, marks time, measures, sags, rages, soars overhead, and occasionally sits quietly in silence.”

Contact joycemcdaniel1@verizon.net for purchasing inquiries.

15. Shane Reilly

Somerville,MA
Shun
steel
30”x 35”x 84”
$1,200

“Shun is one of a series of three sculptures representing the most common conditions in human relationships: Reach, Kiss, and Shun. Shun is one expression trying to impose its will on the other; a representation of a bad relationship or the little devil on one’s shoulder. Although they use similar shapes and the same material, these forms don’t form a cohesive whole. Yet, by placing one form inside the other they are, however awkward, seen as one piece.”

Dial 207.251.1616 for purchasing inquiries.

12. Mitch Ryerson

Cambridge,MA
Wave Bench
oak, granite
22”x 84” x 24”
$4,500

“The Wave Bench is carved from an oak log and finished with a range of textures from polished to rough. I have been making studio furniture for a long time, but have been focusing on outdoor seating for the last five or six years. I am particularly drawn to benches. Because of their fairly simple functional requirements, benches give me a great deal of freedom to develop abstract forms. The fact that they are functional and that the user gets to interact with them physically is also a very important to me.”

Dial 781.391.1231 for purchasing inquiries.

8. Lynn Simmons

Worcester,MA
Tidal Project
(Floating in Mere Pond)
lattice, twine
12’ diameter x 5’ H
$750

“Several years ago I began a project using tidal cycles as a way to create form. I had been drawing boat forms and wanted to take the images from my sketchbook and figure out a way to launch them into the cove where I was living at the time. After some experimentation with various kinds of wood, I found lattice strips to be what I was looking for, which I then combined with twine.”

Dial 508.754.6869 for purchasing inquiries.

5. Konstantin Simun

Allston,MA
Go Green
metal, plastic, flower
54”x 18”x 14”
$11,000

“Once I have read in an ancient Egyptian poem: ‘Scribe! No matter how much time you spend in search of beautiful words, there will always be a woman who, pulling water up from the well, will accidentally utter such a word that you, scribe, will never find.’My work is the quest for such a ‘word’.”

Dial 617.782.4815 for purchasing inquiries.

Many thanks to Patricia Guiney Clarkson for watering the flower.

3. Dennis Svoronos

Boston,MA
Elm Park Soundscape
steel
80”x 72”x 36”
$900

“Being located in the center of the city, Elm Park Soundscape is literally a stethoscope on the pulse of Worcester. If there happens to be a lull in sound, you can use the soundscape to add your voice to the landscape. When viewed from a distance, the piece becomes a kinetic sculpture catching wind in its asymmetrical opening and drifting softly. The project is meant to help us reflect on and appreciate common spaces like Elm Park.”

Dial 617.750.0029 for purchasing inquiries.

Location Map of Artists’ Works

This project would not have been possible without the dedication and leadership of the collaborating organizations and funding partners.

Many thanks to the participating artists, the members of the Worcester Cultural Commission, the committed staff of the City of Worcester and its Department of Public Works and Parks, contributing local businesses, and all participants and volunteers.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Worcester Cultural Commission, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.