Sculpture forum set in stone again
Published: Saturday, October 3, 2009 Nashua Telegraph Online
By PATRICK MEIGHAN, Staff Writer
pmeighan@nashuatelegraph.com
If You Go
The Andres Institute of Art invites the public to the closing ceremony for
its 11th symposium and to view the new works on an art walk.
Where: The Andres Institute of Art studio, 98 Route 13, in Brookline.
When: 4 p.m. Sunday.
BROOKLINE – Lasha Khidasheli massaged the stone, grinding here and
caulking there, to make his granite sculpture look just so in its new
mountainside home.
In another week, or month, or season, the work of the artist will be
forgotten and the piece, titled “I just was born,” will give the illusion that it sprang organically from the mountain itself,
much like the other 59 sculptures that materialize along 10 miles of wooded trails in the 140-acre property of the
Andres Institute of Art. But on this day, the artist was in the final stages of physical and emotional labor that began three
weeks ago with the opening of the institute's 11th symposium. The symposium concludes Sunday with a 4 p.m. ceremony
at the mountaintop studio.
Other sculptors who participated in the symposium are Mallory Feltz, of Ohio, Michel Argouges, of France, Jenny Page, of
Exeter, and John Weidman, of Brookline, the director of the Andres Institute.
“A lot of geometry is going on, a lot of flexibility,” Khidasheli said of his sculpture.
A native of the Republic of Georgia, Khidasheli now resides in Raleigh, N.C.
His home country, Khidasheli explained, lies at the juncture of Asia and Europe. He wanted his sculpture to contain
elements of East and West, as represented by flexibility and form.
“You need both, 50-50,” Khidasheli said.
He described looking at his sculpture as a form of meditation. He wanted the piece not only to be beautiful but also to
embody the energy and love from his heart. Khidasheli said his work is rooted as much in spirituality as it is in aesthetics.
For Anna Szok, an Andres board member who coordinates publicity as well as volunteer activities, the new sculpture is
another child of the mountain she will come to know over time. “I can't wait until I've known this piece for a year, Lasha,”
Szok said as Khidasheli continued to massage the newly installed piece.
“After a year, I feel I really know a piece. I see in all seasons,” she said.
In the clearing, under the sharp morning sun, Szok said she was impressed by the play of light on each side of the tall
granite sculpture. This is a work that should be explored not only in all seasons, but in all the shades of light that different
times of the day bring.
Szok has known this land since before benefactor Paul Andres purchased Big Bear Mountain, a former ski area, in 1996,
and with Weidman, founded the institute.
“I've been climbing around on this hill before there was an Andres Institute,” Szok said. “This is an area where all the
delinquents came to party because the cops couldn't come up the hill.” Szok gave visitors a tour of one section of trail,
describing both the work that went into creating various pieces of art and the volunteer labor needed to clear brush and
maintain the trails.
“We can't do it without volunteers. We can't do it without public support,” said Weidman, who also is a sponsor of the
Nashua sculpture symposiums held each of the last two springs.
The Andres Institute symposiums, known for attracting internationally recognized artists, had a first this year: Weidman's
daughter, Jenny Page, is one of the participating artists.
She was selected not by her father but by the Andres board, Weidman said. He said he was pleased she became a
sculptor.
“It's not emulating me; it's being who she is, independent of me,” he said.
The grounds of the institute are open to the public, with a parking area along Route 13 for walkers if the gates are shut.
Visitors are asked to be respectful while using the trails and to avoid the home and studio at the top of the mountain.
The public is invited to participate in the closing ceremony for the symposium. Those interested in attending are asked to
convene at the studio by 4 p.m. on Sunday. From there, participants will walk the trails to gather around each of the four
new works in turn, where the artists will offer insights and then pose for photographers.
Refreshments will be served back at the studio.
For more information about the Andres Institute, including directions, visit www.andresinstitute.org.
Patrick Meighan can be reached at 594-6518 or pmeighan@nashuatelegraph.com
Published: Saturday, October 3, 2009 Nashua Telegraph Online
By PATRICK MEIGHAN, Staff Writer
pmeighan@nashuatelegraph.com
If You Go
The Andres Institute of Art invites the public to the closing ceremony for
its 11th symposium and to view the new works on an art walk.
Where: The Andres Institute of Art studio, 98 Route 13, in Brookline.
When: 4 p.m. Sunday.
BROOKLINE – Lasha Khidasheli massaged the stone, grinding here and
caulking there, to make his granite sculpture look just so in its new
mountainside home.
In another week, or month, or season, the work of the artist will be
forgotten and the piece, titled “I just was born,” will give the illusion that it sprang organically from the mountain itself,
much like the other 59 sculptures that materialize along 10 miles of wooded trails in the 140-acre property of the
Andres Institute of Art. But on this day, the artist was in the final stages of physical and emotional labor that began three
weeks ago with the opening of the institute's 11th symposium. The symposium concludes Sunday with a 4 p.m. ceremony
at the mountaintop studio.
Other sculptors who participated in the symposium are Mallory Feltz, of Ohio, Michel Argouges, of France, Jenny Page, of
Exeter, and John Weidman, of Brookline, the director of the Andres Institute.
“A lot of geometry is going on, a lot of flexibility,” Khidasheli said of his sculpture.
A native of the Republic of Georgia, Khidasheli now resides in Raleigh, N.C.
His home country, Khidasheli explained, lies at the juncture of Asia and Europe. He wanted his sculpture to contain
elements of East and West, as represented by flexibility and form.
“You need both, 50-50,” Khidasheli said.
He described looking at his sculpture as a form of meditation. He wanted the piece not only to be beautiful but also to
embody the energy and love from his heart. Khidasheli said his work is rooted as much in spirituality as it is in aesthetics.
For Anna Szok, an Andres board member who coordinates publicity as well as volunteer activities, the new sculpture is
another child of the mountain she will come to know over time. “I can't wait until I've known this piece for a year, Lasha,”
Szok said as Khidasheli continued to massage the newly installed piece.
“After a year, I feel I really know a piece. I see in all seasons,” she said.
In the clearing, under the sharp morning sun, Szok said she was impressed by the play of light on each side of the tall
granite sculpture. This is a work that should be explored not only in all seasons, but in all the shades of light that different
times of the day bring.
Szok has known this land since before benefactor Paul Andres purchased Big Bear Mountain, a former ski area, in 1996,
and with Weidman, founded the institute.
“I've been climbing around on this hill before there was an Andres Institute,” Szok said. “This is an area where all the
delinquents came to party because the cops couldn't come up the hill.” Szok gave visitors a tour of one section of trail,
describing both the work that went into creating various pieces of art and the volunteer labor needed to clear brush and
maintain the trails.
“We can't do it without volunteers. We can't do it without public support,” said Weidman, who also is a sponsor of the
Nashua sculpture symposiums held each of the last two springs.
The Andres Institute symposiums, known for attracting internationally recognized artists, had a first this year: Weidman's
daughter, Jenny Page, is one of the participating artists.
She was selected not by her father but by the Andres board, Weidman said. He said he was pleased she became a
sculptor.
“It's not emulating me; it's being who she is, independent of me,” he said.
The grounds of the institute are open to the public, with a parking area along Route 13 for walkers if the gates are shut.
Visitors are asked to be respectful while using the trails and to avoid the home and studio at the top of the mountain.
The public is invited to participate in the closing ceremony for the symposium. Those interested in attending are asked to
convene at the studio by 4 p.m. on Sunday. From there, participants will walk the trails to gather around each of the four
new works in turn, where the artists will offer insights and then pose for photographers.
Refreshments will be served back at the studio.
For more information about the Andres Institute, including directions, visit www.andresinstitute.org.
Patrick Meighan can be reached at 594-6518 or pmeighan@nashuatelegraph.com
Photo by BOB HAMMERSTROM
Lasha Khidasheli fishines up his piece Friday during a
sculpture symposium at the Andres Institute of Art in
Brookline. His work is displayed atop a mountain, with
walking trails all around.
Lasha Khidasheli fishines up his piece Friday during a
sculpture symposium at the Andres Institute of Art in
Brookline. His work is displayed atop a mountain, with
walking trails all around.