Art on the lay of the land at The Mount
through October 31, 2013
by Shera Cohen
If you have been to Edith Wharton’s The Mount in Lenox, the
beauty and history of what was once this famous writer’s home is always worth
another visit. I have had wonderful opportunities of listening to the Authors’
Lecture Series, participating in Wharton Readings on the Terrace, watching
Wharton Salon plays, and journeying through the flower garden.
A special reason for a return to this stately house and its
grounds is SculptureNow. While the creative and elaborative project is in its
sixteenth year, for the first time, it “now” expands the 40 acres of The
Mount’s estate. These pieces of contemporary outdoor art are huge and heavy –
up to 60,000 pounds.
In the meantime – through October 31 – this art is for all
to experience on the wide open, seemingly manicured lawn of The Mount.
Twenty-four professional sculptors, many of national renown, were selected for
this juried show. The material used to create their works include stone, steel,
clothe, soil, glass, granite, rope, wood, and/or industrial waste products.
Last week, Ann Jon, SculptureNow’s Executive Director and a
sculptor whose art is also in the show, gave my friends and me a
sculpture-by-sculptor tour. She explained that not only are the types of art,
subject matter, materials, and shape considered when executing a sculpture
show, also and literally, the lay of the land. Some designs fit nooks and
crannies on the acreage; others naturally fall into valleys or on hills, while
others lay perfectly on slopes. Certain colors and textures show off in woodsy
areas, while bronze structures seem to naturally lie on the pristine green
grass. Setting the theme, called Confluence, is Jon’s job.
Names like George Rickey, Jonathan Prince, Richard Erdman,
and Tim Prentice are the who’s who in the world of sculpture, each with art in
the exhibit. The talents of 20 other crafters, one-third from Berkshire County,
along with art students from Pittsfield High School (who created one exquisite
triangular piece of drawings on metal, which was also the very first art sold),
make the show complete.
We walked nearly the entire grounds of The Mount, finding
sculpture easy for the viewing and others a bit hidden. My favorites were “Edith
Wharton Takes a Walk,” made of metal, painted white, in the shape of a women in
full dress of the early 1900’s whose shape was identical from all angles; and
“The Writing Hut,” seemly simple, made of brown wood nailed together to look
like a large box, inside a steel desk inviting writers (perhaps me) to enter. I
did.
Another work of art was titled “Erratic.” Not my favorite,
although on the list of one of my friends’ best choices, this big stone and,
undoubtedly, heavy cavernous creation with a slight opening permitted her to
enter, albeit sideways and dipping her head until in the center. Not for the
claustrophobic.
Some sculptures are easily identifiable such as a giant
steel paperclip. Others are a bit more mysterious. And most leave
interpretation to the viewer. Many are stable, yet some have movable parts when
pushed or prodded by the wind.
Jon calls the exhibit at The Mount, “an amazing green
gallery.” Yet, there were other factors to weigh besides beauty when choosing
the sculpture and designing the configuration at The Mount. The judges asked
questions as they made the selections: was the piece creative, how well was it
built, will it withstand four months in all kinds of weather, and was it safe?
The last factor was particularly important because sculpture might have sharp
points or jutting edges, for example.
