The New Canaan Land Trust and the Carriage Barn Arts Center unveiled today the second of their biennial outdoor art exhibition, the New Canaan Sculpture Trail.
The 2022 exhibit will run through October 2022 and features a juried selection of ten sculptures placed on four Land Trust preserves, at New Canaan Town Hall, and the Carriage Barn Arts Center. This year's theme, "Open Space for Everyone," intends to connect audiences to our shared open spaces, deepen connections with the natural world, and inspire conversation about social and environmental justice.
The 2022 Sculpture Trail builds off the inaugural 2020 exhibition, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Launched in the early days of the pandemic, the 2020 Sculpture Trail became particularly relevant as people spent more time outdoors. Since then, it's become abundantly clear that access to land and the outdoors plays a fundamental role in our overall health and wellbeing. Over ten thousand people (reported via trail cameras) visited the 2020 sculptures.
In March, the first of the ten sculptures, Brickhead Truth, was installed at the Carriage Barn to preview the upcoming exhibit. The remaining nine works have been installed over the past month. The diverse mediums range from Brickhead Truth's 350+ high-fire ceramic blocks, to the waterproof canvas of Threading Diagram to the recycled beer containers of The Last 42 Seeds, the burnt tree trunk posts of the Floating Torii Gate, and the high-temperature porcelain flowers of Chaos and Calm. "We are thrilled by the caliber of the sculptures selected for our second Sculpture Trail," commented Hilary Wittmann, Executive Director of the Carriage Barn. "We believe the Sculpture Trail's range of works and artists will attract and engage New Canaan residents and visitors to this compelling exhibition."
"We intentionally installed the sculptures in fewer locations to encourage walkability and access," commented Nancy Bemis, Sculpture Trail co-chair and board member of the New Canaan Land Trust. "In contrast to 2020, where a single sculpture was installed at individual
preserves, we want visitors to experience multiple sculptures simultaneously, with most accessible from downtown New Canaan."
Tickets can be purchased here.
Events throughout the summer and fall will amplify the 2022 "Open Space for Everyone" theme. These include programs tailored to underrepresented youth, seniors, and special needs children and adults throughout Fairfield County. The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society will include the Sculpture Trail in their annual October4Design programming with an October4Design Walking Tour on October 15, 2022.
Participating artists are from New England and New York and include: Thomas S. Berntsen of Norwalk, CT; Gilbert Boro of Old Lyme, CT; John BonSignore of Redding, CT; Carlos Davila of Bridgeport, CT; Domenic Esposito of Westwood, MA; Nicolae Golici of Stamford, NY; Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder of New York, NY; Simone Kestelman of Scarsdale, NY; Chris Plaisted of New Milford, CT; and James Tyler of Haverstraw, NY.
The New Canaan Sculpture Trail has been made possible by the generous support of the Harlan and Lois Anderson Foundation, which serves as the lead underwriter for the exhibition. Their grant, along with support from contributing sponsors – Bankwell, Hobbs, Inc., Hutchinson Tree Specialists, Inc., the Town of New Canaan, Ainsley Design, and Hoffman Landscapes -- will help cover the costs of artist stipends, property preparation, maintenance, and promotional expenses. Bedford & New Canaan Magazine is the exhibition's exclusive media sponsor.
For more information about the New Canaan Sculpture Trail, visit our website at: https://sculpture.newcanaanlandtrust.org. Questions about the exhibition or the Land Trust? Please contact the Land Trust at info@newcanaanlandtrust.org or by calling 203-972-1270.