Leaving Lexington - Art Through the Trees
By Judy Buswick published in Lexington Colonial Times Magazine AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011
Just over an hour's drive away, the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, New Hampshire, offers a
stimulating walk through the woods sprinkled with sculptures created by international artists.
Beckoned by an outdoor activity with an art-twist, Grampa and I took three granddaughters
(cousins seven and nine years old) to explore the 140-acre property on Big Bear Mountain with its
sixty-four art works mostly of metal and stone. Open daily, dawn to dusk, this "carry-in, carry-out park"
has free admission year around, and dogs are welcomed.
From interstate 495, we followed Route 119 from Littleton to Townsend (MA) Center, and turned
right onto Route 13, heading north. Having printed a map from the Andres Institute website (www.
andresinstitute.org), we watched for the entrance sign (a huge work of art on an easel) on our left,
across the street from a rock supply business.
Lined with Queen Anne's lace and goldenrod, a short dirt drive led us to a parking area near the
main gate. The girls checked the posted trail map, while Grampa consulted our paper map to
decide which path we'd hike. We toted snacks and drinks, but had no bug spray - and luckily didn't
need any.
We headed up the paved road (Parkway Road Trail) after inspecting the rusting iron entrance-gate
adorned with hands, figures, patterns, and kokopelli. Nearby stood a two part stone sculpture titled
Gate of My Faith/My Father and I , seemingly held together by laced wires. I wondered if this father
and artist relationship was one of strife, since the two stones seem to be pulling apart. We'd hear
more about the artist and sculpture further up the hill.
Starting along the paved road, which was rather steep(and long), we came to # 32 Untitled by
Carolina Mayorga from Columbia; but we soon learned the metal silhouettes have been renamed
Ambush. I had naively thought the figures lurking in the trees on either side of the road were holding guitars, but then realized these were
rifles and that their brimmed hats were really helmets of a WWI style.
As we stood there , sculptor, co-founder and Director of the Andres Institute of Art, John Weidman drove up the narrow road and stopped to
greet us. He told us that Carolina had remained her untitled work to reflect life in her homeland. He also explained that lots of local
volunteers help to maintain the sculptures. We asked about
a picnic area and John told us that an Eagle Scout is is
working on making some benches for the property owned by Paul
Andres who also lives on the mountain. He suggested we stop at the
studio up the hill and sign the guest book.
We continued climbing and came across sculpture # 39 The Boat by
Bulgarian artist Milen Vassilev. On a hand-painted sign we read that
"Everybody has a boat and a direction in their life. We can change
the direction of the boat but we cannot change the current in the river
of our life." The 9' x 8.5' x 2' granite work with carved currents beneath
the boat seemed like a good place to rest for a bit from our uphill trek.
Just a little further up the road, we came upon a work titled Debate by by
Tomas Kus from the Czech Republic. This three-part arrangement of
"wolf-people" made of welded metal tools, chains, and rusty iron
iron rods, presented us with "a photo op" since for many years I've
been taking pictures of family and friends posing in mimicking
postures by statuary. The three grand-girls have mimed sculptures a
from Seattle to Lincoln. They have loved exploring and posing at the
Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey and the Storm King Art Center in New York. So, naturally, they each posed with a wolf-man holding out
something to be considered in Debate.
On a short, side trail we found an upright granite block, with a spiked tip, a
single blue glass plate inserted near the stone peak, and variously worked
planes including notches reminiscent of "pin and feathering" used to split
granite slabs. James J. Riviello, III from Massachusetts had titled his work
Water and Rock, explaining on a nearby hand-lettered sign that "the source
of inspiration for this work was the New England coastline." The girls loved
the blue reflection cast by sunshine through the plate onto the stone. (At
home we reviewed the Andres Institute of Art website and saw that originally
this sculpture had had a series of blue plates cascading down one corner.
Those notches were not meant to represent quarry marks, but rather to hold
more blue glass that the artist used to represent water. A sad piece of
vandalism - but we all liked this solitary megalith.)
Back along the road, we came upon a graceful sculpture in which the girls
could see a head and a woman, though the piece is completely abstract.
Parts were polished stone from carved out areas. Set amid birch trees
Souls of Peace by Gerard Montondi from Kenya was definitely a Madonna-like abstract of tranquility.
Ever climbing, we met a four-some of figures in stone and metal titled Community and Diversity by
Kristine Smock from Colorado. With carved stone heads and metal or stone torsos each figure is
different though they attest to standing "united, bonded by our existence, vulnerability, and a desire
to create a harmonious community." Next we took a side trail that led us to some etched rocks - with
fabric like patterns and another domed rock with scale like scalloping.
Then Charlotte called us to hurry to see a "space ship from star wars" Indeed we understood her
interpretation of Indispensable by Chris Peterson from Holland. One of the two pieces was a
smooth flat rock with a stylized letter A; its counterpart was an upright rough stone with a hole that
invited peeking in to see how deep the space was.
Along our unpaved woodland trail we found a work by Cambodian artist Chanthou Oeur. His Snarm
(translated Scar) has incised holes with sprays like fireworks around them. The word Scar was
written in Cambodian and English in an additional stone marker. We all liked that it was detailed on
every side. How deep the scars were no one could tell.
Just below the studio building we came across Stone, Paper, Scissors a "folded" rock set shoulder-
high into the space created by four tree trunks. The sculptured rock by Marcus Vergette from England
will eventually roll down the hill, when a tree dies. The girls understood the image and how time will
change things.
They were really impressed with the glass-walled studio and enjoyed watching sculptor Joe Montroy using a
crane to lift parts of a stone whale in progress. John Weidman showed us his newly revised piece titled First
Friendship, which looks like a ball on a wave of water. It suggests things are "dependent and independent at
the same time," the artist said. ""Because it is liquid you can never know where it will go." But, John did tell
us it would be installed at Art in the Park, a sculpture show in Worcester's Elm Park from July 30th to October
3rd. If you've never visited this Worcester park show, it's worth adding to your leaving Lexington day-trip plans.
As we signed the guest book and made a donation to keep the Andres Institute of Art functioning. John told
us about their annual international Bridges and Connections sculpture symposium held since 1999. Seven
artists from around the world would spend two or three weeks here, boarding with local families and creating
art. When Tomas Kus was visiting and making his wold-people figures, the other artists had to hide their tools
because he would grab any metal he could to incorporate into the large human shapes with wolf heads.
Bulgarian artist Luben Boykov had planned to attend the Symposium one year, but the death of his
father, also a sculptor, kept him home. The next year as he searched the mountain for a site for a
sculpture, he found himself thinking of his father and how much they shared, including their religious
faith. Even in death, he felt connections to his dad, and so the sculpture by the gate shows not strife
but the ties that remain even when someone has passed away.
John told us this site was once "a ski area that
went down hill." Smiling when I reacted to his
pun, he said some people don't get it. There
really are a number of trails, but I doubt any were
actual ski runs. We had a healthy climb without
reaching the summit, but decided to head back
to the car by a different trail. Works by artists from
Japan, Armenia, Nova Scotia, and the US lead
us down the hill. In two hours we'd seen not even
half of the art work here. We'd have to come back
- maybe during the Symposium week or for the
public Iron Melt in the fall.
By Judy Buswick published in Lexington Colonial Times Magazine AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011
Just over an hour's drive away, the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, New Hampshire, offers a
stimulating walk through the woods sprinkled with sculptures created by international artists.
Beckoned by an outdoor activity with an art-twist, Grampa and I took three granddaughters
(cousins seven and nine years old) to explore the 140-acre property on Big Bear Mountain with its
sixty-four art works mostly of metal and stone. Open daily, dawn to dusk, this "carry-in, carry-out park"
has free admission year around, and dogs are welcomed.
From interstate 495, we followed Route 119 from Littleton to Townsend (MA) Center, and turned
right onto Route 13, heading north. Having printed a map from the Andres Institute website (www.
andresinstitute.org), we watched for the entrance sign (a huge work of art on an easel) on our left,
across the street from a rock supply business.
Lined with Queen Anne's lace and goldenrod, a short dirt drive led us to a parking area near the
main gate. The girls checked the posted trail map, while Grampa consulted our paper map to
decide which path we'd hike. We toted snacks and drinks, but had no bug spray - and luckily didn't
need any.
We headed up the paved road (Parkway Road Trail) after inspecting the rusting iron entrance-gate
adorned with hands, figures, patterns, and kokopelli. Nearby stood a two part stone sculpture titled
Gate of My Faith/My Father and I , seemingly held together by laced wires. I wondered if this father
and artist relationship was one of strife, since the two stones seem to be pulling apart. We'd hear
more about the artist and sculpture further up the hill.
Starting along the paved road, which was rather steep(and long), we came to # 32 Untitled by
Carolina Mayorga from Columbia; but we soon learned the metal silhouettes have been renamed
Ambush. I had naively thought the figures lurking in the trees on either side of the road were holding guitars, but then realized these were
rifles and that their brimmed hats were really helmets of a WWI style.
As we stood there , sculptor, co-founder and Director of the Andres Institute of Art, John Weidman drove up the narrow road and stopped to
greet us. He told us that Carolina had remained her untitled work to reflect life in her homeland. He also explained that lots of local
volunteers help to maintain the sculptures. We asked about
a picnic area and John told us that an Eagle Scout is is
working on making some benches for the property owned by Paul
Andres who also lives on the mountain. He suggested we stop at the
studio up the hill and sign the guest book.
We continued climbing and came across sculpture # 39 The Boat by
Bulgarian artist Milen Vassilev. On a hand-painted sign we read that
"Everybody has a boat and a direction in their life. We can change
the direction of the boat but we cannot change the current in the river
of our life." The 9' x 8.5' x 2' granite work with carved currents beneath
the boat seemed like a good place to rest for a bit from our uphill trek.
Just a little further up the road, we came upon a work titled Debate by by
Tomas Kus from the Czech Republic. This three-part arrangement of
"wolf-people" made of welded metal tools, chains, and rusty iron
iron rods, presented us with "a photo op" since for many years I've
been taking pictures of family and friends posing in mimicking
postures by statuary. The three grand-girls have mimed sculptures a
from Seattle to Lincoln. They have loved exploring and posing at the
Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey and the Storm King Art Center in New York. So, naturally, they each posed with a wolf-man holding out
something to be considered in Debate.
On a short, side trail we found an upright granite block, with a spiked tip, a
single blue glass plate inserted near the stone peak, and variously worked
planes including notches reminiscent of "pin and feathering" used to split
granite slabs. James J. Riviello, III from Massachusetts had titled his work
Water and Rock, explaining on a nearby hand-lettered sign that "the source
of inspiration for this work was the New England coastline." The girls loved
the blue reflection cast by sunshine through the plate onto the stone. (At
home we reviewed the Andres Institute of Art website and saw that originally
this sculpture had had a series of blue plates cascading down one corner.
Those notches were not meant to represent quarry marks, but rather to hold
more blue glass that the artist used to represent water. A sad piece of
vandalism - but we all liked this solitary megalith.)
Back along the road, we came upon a graceful sculpture in which the girls
could see a head and a woman, though the piece is completely abstract.
Parts were polished stone from carved out areas. Set amid birch trees
Souls of Peace by Gerard Montondi from Kenya was definitely a Madonna-like abstract of tranquility.
Ever climbing, we met a four-some of figures in stone and metal titled Community and Diversity by
Kristine Smock from Colorado. With carved stone heads and metal or stone torsos each figure is
different though they attest to standing "united, bonded by our existence, vulnerability, and a desire
to create a harmonious community." Next we took a side trail that led us to some etched rocks - with
fabric like patterns and another domed rock with scale like scalloping.
Then Charlotte called us to hurry to see a "space ship from star wars" Indeed we understood her
interpretation of Indispensable by Chris Peterson from Holland. One of the two pieces was a
smooth flat rock with a stylized letter A; its counterpart was an upright rough stone with a hole that
invited peeking in to see how deep the space was.
Along our unpaved woodland trail we found a work by Cambodian artist Chanthou Oeur. His Snarm
(translated Scar) has incised holes with sprays like fireworks around them. The word Scar was
written in Cambodian and English in an additional stone marker. We all liked that it was detailed on
every side. How deep the scars were no one could tell.
Just below the studio building we came across Stone, Paper, Scissors a "folded" rock set shoulder-
high into the space created by four tree trunks. The sculptured rock by Marcus Vergette from England
will eventually roll down the hill, when a tree dies. The girls understood the image and how time will
change things.
They were really impressed with the glass-walled studio and enjoyed watching sculptor Joe Montroy using a
crane to lift parts of a stone whale in progress. John Weidman showed us his newly revised piece titled First
Friendship, which looks like a ball on a wave of water. It suggests things are "dependent and independent at
the same time," the artist said. ""Because it is liquid you can never know where it will go." But, John did tell
us it would be installed at Art in the Park, a sculpture show in Worcester's Elm Park from July 30th to October
3rd. If you've never visited this Worcester park show, it's worth adding to your leaving Lexington day-trip plans.
As we signed the guest book and made a donation to keep the Andres Institute of Art functioning. John told
us about their annual international Bridges and Connections sculpture symposium held since 1999. Seven
artists from around the world would spend two or three weeks here, boarding with local families and creating
art. When Tomas Kus was visiting and making his wold-people figures, the other artists had to hide their tools
because he would grab any metal he could to incorporate into the large human shapes with wolf heads.
Bulgarian artist Luben Boykov had planned to attend the Symposium one year, but the death of his
father, also a sculptor, kept him home. The next year as he searched the mountain for a site for a
sculpture, he found himself thinking of his father and how much they shared, including their religious
faith. Even in death, he felt connections to his dad, and so the sculpture by the gate shows not strife
but the ties that remain even when someone has passed away.
John told us this site was once "a ski area that
went down hill." Smiling when I reacted to his
pun, he said some people don't get it. There
really are a number of trails, but I doubt any were
actual ski runs. We had a healthy climb without
reaching the summit, but decided to head back
to the car by a different trail. Works by artists from
Japan, Armenia, Nova Scotia, and the US lead
us down the hill. In two hours we'd seen not even
half of the art work here. We'd have to come back
- maybe during the Symposium week or for the
public Iron Melt in the fall.
| The fall colors on Big Bear Mountain will be an additional perk for a tour of the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, New Hampshire. If you visit between September 11 and October 2, 2011, you'll find this years international sculptors at work during the 13th Annual Bridges Symposium. A crowd pleaser is the September 3rd "Iron Melt" where the public has a chance to create a design in a sand block and then watch the metal casting process. The fee for participating is 35. while all else is free. Yet, as John Weidman says of the 501(c) (3) charitable organization, donations do keep the institute afloat. "The main emphasis is begging" is how he phrased it. Scout troops and adult orginisations with an interest in conservation, art, and nature are invited to explore the sculpture park or take up a community service project. Stone and metal workshops are also available. To learn more, check the web site , send an e-mail, or phone: www.andresinstitute.org, or info@andresinstitute.org or 603-673-8441 and leave a message. Judy Buswick loves exploring art parks. Contact her at jt.buswick@verizon.net. |
