Above: I’m sharing some of my favorite pics from the 2023 Art on the Trails exhibit. (photos by Beth Melo)
I’ve been writing about it, but yesterday was the first time I made to the Art on the Trails exhibit this summer at Beals Preserve. I’m sharing pics from my walk.
For the 2023 exhibit, artists were asked to consider what the theme Transformation means to them. 16 works were selected and installed along the trails on the Southborough Open Land Foundation’s parcel. (Scroll down for that list and map.)
A few of the displays are out in the meadow area where you can also spot butterflies, dragonflies, and small birds enjoying the open space.
(You can also check out the Native Pollination Garden along the trail between the parking lot and the exhibit.)
Most are along the wooded trails. If you choose to seek those out, I definitely recommend applying some bug spray first. (Frankly, I forgot to. Since, I’m a mosquito magnet, I ended up having to cut my hike short before I could get to all of the installations.)
Here are some of my best photos:
Each exhibit is accompanied by a sign that includes the name, artist, materials used, and the sale price. (Yes, many of these are for sale, with a portion of proceeds going to Art on the Trails.) . They also have QR codes so you can use your smart phone to pull up a video of the artist talking about their work. (Most are from the day they were installed.)
Each exhibit is accompanied by a sign that includes the name, artist, materials used, and the sale price. (Yes, many of these are for sale, with a portion of proceeds going to Art on the Trails.) . They also have QR codes so you can use your smart phone to pull up a more information. (Many are videos from the day they were installed.)
Bringing your phone also allows you to use the map listing exhibit locations below right.
The exhibits on the trail are:
“Ripple Effect” by Neary School- “Empathy” by Madeleine Lord of Dudley
- “Cultivating the Heart” by Linda Hoffman of Harvard
- “Tilting at Windmills” by Jon Laustsen of Providence, RI
- “Dandelion” by Gints Grinbergs of Dedham
- “Bison Bison Bison ” by Hildreth Potts of Garrison, NY
- “Good Tree with its Voice” by Matthew Haberstron of Medford
- “Until” by Ted Castro of Acton
- “Below and Above” by Alexandra Ionescu of Providence, RI in collaboration with August Lehrecke, Matthew P. Muller, Holly Ewald, Hope Leeson, and Maxwell Fertik
- “Perch: Preen” by Margot McMahon of Oak Park, Il
- “Lollipops” by Bridie Wolejko of Lunenburg
- “Pet Rock Pile” Meagan Hepp of Brighton
- “Below the Forest” Marie Despres of Grafton
- “plastic landscape” Lisa Barthelson of Rutland
- “Emergence” by Gena Mavuli of Boston
- “Forest Nymph” by Melanie Zibit of Shirley
Art on the Trails is open dawn to dusk until the closing ceremony on September 27th from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.
