Above: The annual outdoor art exhibit will open with viewing of works being installed along trails this Saturday. (top “theme” image created by Marie Craig, bottom photos by Molly Dee, Sara Alexander, and Gints Ginsberg)
The 8th Annual Art on the Trails will be open to the public this weekend through mid-September. The kickoff this Saturday is a special daylong event with the public invited to view artists installing thirteen works.
Southborough Open Land Foundation hosts the summerlong exhibit alongside trails at Beals Preserve. The installation event runs from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm this Saturday, June 15th.
The opportunity to speak with artists about their intentions and inspiration may especially be of interest to anyone interested in trying their hand at writing poetry to be included in this year’s chapbook.*
For the 6th time, the exhibit includes a special group project by Neary School 4th & 5th grade students led by Art Teacher Denise Johnson. This year’s work is “Rooted in Nature”, The project representing oversized tree roots will be a tribute to Whitney Beals’ love of trees. (This summer’s “Legacy themed” exhibit is a tribute to the conservationist’s memory.)
A school announcement to students’ families asks for students to help with the installation (arriving at 9:30 am with an interview starting at 10:30 am).
The public schedule for the installation starts at 10:00 am with installation of a new work beginning every 30 minutes through 3:30 pm. The event is officially until 5:00 pm, but the exhibit will continue to be open to the public dawn to dusk until the closing ceremony on September 15th.
Here is Saturday’s schedule (with numbered references to site locations on the map below right) and the list of artists in the exhibition:
10:00 am at #12 — Where We Never Wander by Charles Smith of Jefferson, NH- 10:30 am at #6 — Rooted in Nature by Neary Elementary School
- 11:00 am at #4 — Barefoot on the Hill by Casey Hayward of Stoneham
- 11:30 am at #7 — From the Acorn by Sarah Alexander of Sutton
- 12:30 pm at #10 — Olympia by Molly Dee of Natick
- 1:30 pm at #13 — Generations by Stephen Strout of Natick
- 2:00 pm at #9 — Across the Universe by Jane McKenzie of Montreal
- 2:30 pm at #3 — Come, Sit with me by Trish Dehls of Woodstock, CT
- 3:00 pm at #11 — Bark Owl by Pam Bonaguide of Wayland
- 3:30 pm at #8 — Earth, Air, Water and Fire by Chelsea Bradway of Southborough
No times were listed for the following exhibits:
- #1 — Ancestral Meanderings by Nilou Moochhala of Arlington
- #2 — Queen Anne’s Lace by Gints Grinbergs of Dedham
- #5 — Sunset Hill by Jake Walter of Southborough
The announcement was accompanied by the photos below of three of the works to be installed. Click thumbnails for more details:
This year’s exhibit is made possible through partnership with both Southborough Community Fund and Southborough Open Land Foundation, as well as the support from Southborough Cultural Council, Ginny Martins & Associates and Middlesex Savings Bank.
To learn more about the annual initiative, visit www.artonthetrails.com.
*The annual Call for Poetry to be included in a chapbook inspired by the exhibit will open June 16th – July 31st. Click here for more details.
