SUMMER 2016 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE 1

cred

it

DECORDOVA SUMMER 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTSDeCordova fosters the creation, exhibition, and exploration of contemporary art through our exhibitions, learning opportunities, collection, and unique park setting. We engage all visitors with exhibitions and programs that connect our audiences to contemporary art and culture.

2 DIRECTOR’S PICKS Executive Director John Ravenal shares his deCordova favorites

3RAPPAPORT PRIZE About Matt Saunders, 2015 Rappaport Prize winner

4 LOTTE JACOBI, LISETTE MODEL: URBAN CAMERAIn memory of Cathy England

5OVERGROWTHReflections by Associate Curator Sarah Montross

8UP-ING CULTURAL ACCESSSharing contemporary art with new audiences

9PARTY FOR THE PARKHighlights of deCordova’s signature gala event

10AN IDEAL PARTNERSHIPLincoln Nursery School and deCordova, comrades in arts

11STAFF PROFILEMeet Amber Price, Membership Coordinator

ART LOAN PROGRAMHanging with the Corporate team

12COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTMichael Mazur, Ice Glen

Lorri B. Berenberg

Russell F. Conn

Dan Elias

Gerard D. Frank

Deborah A. Hawkins

Kate James

Melinda Webster Loof

Erica A. Mason

Jan E. Nyquist

Joseph C. O’Connor

Linda Hammett Ory

Stacy G. Osur

Glenn P. Parker

Amy G. Poorvu

Jonathan Rapaport

Robert H. Scott

Donald R. Stanton

Peter C. Sugar

Dune D. Thorne

Summer 2016 | Volume 1, Number 1

Cover Photo: David Wolf, Clover Tangle from the series Nurturing Time, Life in a Backyard Garden, 2009; printed 2012, chromogenic print mounted on board, ed. 1/3, 16 x 20 in., Museum Purchase with funds provided by an anonymous donor.

Please send change of address information to: External Affairs, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln, MA 01773

Magazine design by blazar design studio

6AN INTERVIEW PLATFORM 17 artist Stephanie Cardon discusses her work, Beacon

TRUSTEES

SUMMER 2016 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE 1

FROM THE DESK OF JOHN B. RAVENAL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DECORDOVA SCULPTURE PARK AND MUSEUM MAGAZINE

Welcome to the launch of the new deCordova magazine. In these pages, you’ll learn about what happens behind the scenes at deCordova and the ideas, passions, and principles that animate the work of our educators, curators, and artists.

This issue features articles on the current ex-hibitions, Overgrowth, curated by Associate Curator Sarah Montross and Lotte Jacobi, Lisette Model: Urban Camera, curated by Koch Curatorial Fellow Helen Lewandowski. You’ll also learn about the innovative part-nership between deCordova’s Learning & Engagement Department (L&E) and the Lincoln Nursery School (LNS). LNS offers a Reggio Emilia-based approach that has

deeply informed the programs our educators create for adults and children. DeCordova received an UP designation from the Mas-sachusetts Cultural Council, and L&E has developed an All Access Day with Touch Tours, American Sign Language Tours, and Paved Access Tours to provide an enriched experience for those who might otherwise not be able to encounter all that is available at deCordova.

We’re pleased to publish an interview with artist Stephanie Cardon, whose work Beacon graces Waleska’s Way on our western slope as part of our PLATFORM series. Stephanie describes her process in creating this engaging work and shares some early sketches. The PLATFORM series consists of site-specific commissions, which allow deCordova to fulfill its commitment to contemporary sculpture and to enhancing the landscape as our primary gallery.

I’m sorry to note the passing of the inimitable Marnie Wengren. Marnie served as a deCordova Trustee (1979–97), Board President (1981–84), and Overseer (1977–79; 1997–2012). She also served as deCordova’s Interim Executive Director

from 1980-81. In addition, Marnie was one of the longest serving Museum Guides: she was inducted into the program in 1967, and remained active for over 30 years. She visited the Museum for lunch with her children just a couple of weeks before she died. She was, as ever, full of spirit and the joy of life. We will miss her.

Now a year into my tenure as Executive Director, I see deCordova’s unique mission as one that seeks balance above all. We invite art lovers of all ages to explore contemporary art in a natural setting that lifts the spirit. We encourage children and adults to engage with the materials of creation and to think and experience the environment as artists do. And I invite you to read and reflect on these pages and to visit deCordova, where you can experience the fine balance of art, nature, and learning first hand.

John B. RavenalExecutive Director

Karen Bechtel

Becky Bermont

Jean L. Birnberg

Katherine F. Block

Everett K. Bramhall

Luke D. Burns

María Magdalena Campos-Pons

Randy Clark

Anne E. Columbia

Susan M. Culman

Jeffrey J. Elton

Loren B. Feingold

Anne H. Fitzpatrick

John B. French

Abigail R. Goodman

Jay S. Gregory

Andrew P. Hier

Jamie B. Jaffee

Waleska E. James

Lila Kanner and Matt Fineman

Arlette and Gus P.

Kayafas

Mary Levin Koch

Barbara C. Lee

Rebecca Pearson Lo

Daniel R. Mathieu

Elizabeth Maynard

Colleen Messing

Meredyth Hyatt

Moses

Geoffrey Nunes

Katherine Hall Page

Faith K. Parker

Scott D. Parker

Phyllis E. Rappaport

Martha Richardson

Abby G. Rosenfeld

Lori B. Rutter

Peter Slater

David B. Slater

Ana Sortun

Terri L. Spoon

Jeanne Stanton

Kim Stirling

Beth Terrana

Blair L. Trippe

Carmen R. Verrier

Donald E. Wallroth

Deborah Weisgall

Mandy Young

Charlotte and Marc Zawel

OVERSEERS

2 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016

Left: Rona Pondick, Otter, 2002-05, stainless steel, 30 1/2 x 6 3/4 x 23 ¾ in., Museum Purchase, Hamilton R. James Sculpture Park Acquisition Fund, in honor of Nick Capasso’s 20th anniversary at deCordova; Middle: Photo by Jennifer Schmitt; Right: Mary Mattingly, Microsphere: The Breathed Commune, 2012, archival inkjet print mounted to dibond, AP I, 19 1/4 x 19 1/4 in. Gift of the Artist

DIRECTOR’S PICKSDeCordova is unique in its commitment to three distinct areas of focus: outdoor sculptures in the Sculpture Park, exciting contemporary art within the Museum, and the landscape itself that provides a tranquil setting to enjoy art and each other. Director John Ravenal shares his thoughts on which aspects speak to him.

RONA PONDICK, OTTER, 2002

WEEPING BEECH TREES

MARY MATTINGLY, MICROSPHERE: THE BREATHED COMMUNE, 2012

Take a walk in Alice’s Garden—-the winding path along the stone outcropping on deCordova’s front hill-—and you’ll come across this hybrid creature, at once unsettling and strangely compelling. You’ll likely recognize the slim form as an otter, but a polished chrome finish lends it artifice and the shrunken human head and hand, based on the artist’s own and grafted onto the small body, disturb all reason, creating a mysterious and dreamlike quality. DeCordova is itself a hybrid: part Sculpture Park, part Museum, a place that welcomes us with its familiarity and yet startles us with its surprising discoveries.

I love the way these spectacular trees fill out from a wintry skeletal veil to a dense summer covering of pendulous branches. The specimens that grace deCordova’s entrance are some sixty years old and with good care could live another hundred years. Popular havens for birds, mice, and squirrels, they’ve also sheltered many deCordova visitors, both young and old, and born witness to at least one marriage proposal. Their leafy enclosures offer hiding places, entries to inner worlds, and private spheres within a public space. Like the sculpture in the Park, the trees are shared by thousands of visitors a year and yet offer something to each of us personally and memorably.

In this deceptive photograph from our current Overgrowth exhibition, inhabitants of a geodesic sphere float in a harbor. Lettering on the nearby boats suggests that the setting is in Southeast Asia, but Mattingly often digitally superimposes her sculptures into far-flung locations. The resulting image appears to show a make-shift response to environmental disaster, underscoring the increasingly precarious state of our environment. Mattingly’s work embodies the contradictions expressed by Overgrowth as a whole, where proliferation and transformation are shown to create wonderful new forms in nature and the built environment, but can also overgrow the bounds and lead to uncontrollable excess.

SUMMER 2016 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE 3

RAPPAPORT PRIZE

DeCordova proudly awarded the 2015 Rappaport Prize to Cambridge-based artist Matt Saunders. Saunders’ innovative work merges the mediums of painting, photography, and film and explores the ephemeral nature of recognition and memory. He paints or draws images on canvas, which he then exposes to photographic paper to create ghostly photograms. In recent years

he has also begun creating sophisticated multi-screen film installations by animating sequences of his images.

An assistant professor in the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University, Saunders has presented

his work internationally with one-person exhibitions at Tate Liverpool and the Renaissance Society, Chicago. In 2009, Saunders received a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation award and in 2013 he received the Prix Jean-François Prat award. His work was also included in The 2012 deCordova Biennial. “Matt Saunders is an outstanding recipient of the Rappaport Prize,” notes John B. Ravenal, Executive Director. “His work is innovative and thought-provoking, and offers a fascinating reflection on the intersection of memory, images, and history.” The Rappaport Prize has been awarded annually since 2000 and is generously funded by the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation.

Matt SaundersPoelzig / The Intricate Alps, 2015

3 channel HD video projection, custom screenssmall projection 8 min looped

two large projections 12 min loopedoverall duration 24 min looped

edition of 2 +1AP

SAUNDERS’ INNOVATIVE WORK MERGES THE MEDIUMS OF PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND FILM AND EXPLORES THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF RECOGNITION AND MEMORY.

4 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016

This

page

left:

Lot

te Ja

cobi

, But

terfl

ies,

c. 1

950,

silv

er g

elat

in p

rint.

© T

he U

nive

rsity

of N

ew H

amps

hire

. The

Lot

te Ja

cobi

Col

lect

ion;

Thi

s pa

ge ri

ght:

Liset

te M

odel

, Blin

d M

an in

Fro

nt o

f Bill

boar

d, P

aris,

c. 1

933-

38, s

ilver

gel

atin

prin

t. O

ppos

tie P

age,

bot

tom

: Ins

talla

tion

view

, Ove

rgro

wth

, deC

ordo

va S

culp

ture

Par

k an

d M

useu

m, L

inco

ln, M

A, P

hoto

by

Rick

Man

sfiel

d of

Anc

hor I

mag

ery.

LOTTE JACOBI, LISETTE MODEL: URBAN CAMERABY HELEN LEWANDOWSKI, KOCH CURATORIAL FELLOW

The Urban Camera exhibition is presented in memory of longtime deCordova Trustee Cathy England.

LOTTE JACOBI, LISETTE MODEL: URBAN CAMERAThis exhibition presents street photography, portraits, and experimental work by émigré photographers Lotte Jacobi (1896–1990) and Lisette Model (1901–1983), created while they each lived in Berlin, Paris, and New York from the 1930s to 1950s. Jacobi was an ambitious innovator, expanding her work from refined portraiture of cultural elites to experimental abstract images. Model’s iconic street photographs depict extreme disparities in society, enabled by her incisive eye and use of dramatic cropping to monumentalize urban dwellers. Both Jacobi and Model relied on an intuitive approach to create powerful yet ordinary images of people, whether in the studio or on the street. Presented in the James and Audrey Foster Galleries, their work exemplifies the breadth of the revitalization of portraiture and innovations in photographic techniques in the early- to mid-twentieth century. Jacobi’s and Model’s photographs appear just as vibrant and modern today as when they were published over fifty years ago.

A TRIBUTE TO CATHERINE S. ENGLANDDeCordova is proud to present Lotte Jacobi, Lisette Model: Urban Camera in memory of Cathy England. Cathy was an important member of the deCordova community for over thirty years, and served as an Overseer and Trustee from 1995 to 2015. Cathy was a photographer with a special interest in documentary photography,

and printed her own work. She was a serious collector of contempo-rary art with a focus on photography and sculpture and was a major contributor to deCordova’s photography collection. Trustee Gerry Frank recalls, “If we are lucky in life, we meet an individual whose

greater life purpose is to make the world a better place. Their actions are all about making lasting contributions that raise the quality of life for us all in our daily lives. Cathy was just such an extraordinary individual. Her support in the arts, in medical research and treatment, will benefit people for generations to come.”

IF WE ARE LUCKY IN LIFE, WE MEET AN INDIVIDUAL WHOSE GREATER LIFE PURPOSE IS TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. THEIR ACTIONS ARE ALL ABOUT MAKING LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS THAT RAISE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR US ALL IN OUR DAILY LIVES.

This

page

left:

Lot

te Ja

cobi

, But

terfl

ies,

c. 1

950,

silv

er g

elat

in p

rint.

© T

he U

nive

rsity

of N

ew H

amps

hire

. The

Lot

te Ja

cobi

Col

lect

ion;

Thi

s pa

ge ri

ght:

Liset

te M

odel

, Blin

d M

an in

Fro

nt o

f Bill

boar

d, P

aris,

c. 1

933-

38, s

ilver

gel

atin

prin

t. O

ppos

tie P

age,

bot

tom

: Ins

talla

tion

view

, Ove

rgro

wth

, deC

ordo

va S

culp

ture

Par

k an

d M

useu

m, L

inco

ln, M

A, P

hoto

by

Rick

Man

sfiel

d of

Anc

hor I

mag

ery.

OVERGROWTH BY SARAH MONTROSS, ASSOCIATE CURATOR

The exhibition Overgrowth features artworks drawn from deCordova’s permanent collec-tion that show scenes of profile expansion and transformation in the natural world and

the built environment. One of the prima-ry exhibition themes is how artists depict elements of transformation and change in nature. Forms of organic abundance spill out across paintings and works on paper. Plants, animals, and other matter are shown in stages of germination, cultivation, and decay.

Some works in Overgrowth respond to the acceleration of scientific and technologi-cal discoveries that developed throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The unprecedented pace of building and

I ALSO HOPE THAT AFTER SEEING OVERGROWTH, VISITORS WILL EXPLORE THE SCULPTURE PARK WITH RENEWED ATTENTION TO THE EVER-CHANGING GROWTH OF PLANTS AND TREES OUTSIDE . . .

construction during the postwar years also influenced works in this exhibition. Some artworks illustrate this pervasive and inspir-ing human ambition, while others suggest

concern for the negative effects of overde-velopment of the land and overconsumption of material goods.

Metaphors of growth and change also provide a lens through which to interpret processes of artistic creation. Methods of painterly layering, accumulation, and construction demonstrate diverse ways that art-making is a generative process. This large-scale exhibition celebrates deCordo-va’s rich collecting history, spanning over fifty years, and features paintings, sculp-ture, photographs, and works on paper

by over forty artists. I also hope that after seeing Overgrowth, visitors will explore the Sculpture Park with renewed attention to the ever-changing growth of plants and trees outside, such as the ivy that covers over deCordova’s brick walls during the spring and summer months and which transforms into brilliant shades of orange and red by the fall.

6 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016

This

Page

: Im

age

cour

tesy

of S

teph

anie

Car

don;

Opp

osite

pag

e: P

hoto

s by

Sco

ut H

utch

inso

n

Artist Stephanie Cardon installed

PLATFORM 17: Beacon on the

pond-side of the Sculpture Park

last summer. The sculpture is comprised

of two concrete monoliths connected by

vinyl covered cables tautly strung in two

layers. In a recent conversation Cardon

said of her work, “It’s a wonderful

opportunity when a curator says come

and experiment. At deCordova, the

landscape has so many dramatic

perspectives, from the drop-off of the

hillside and the pond, to the views from

the two terraces.” She noted the location

was picked early on because of

the variety of perspectives it offered.

Sketches were digitally added into

photographs of the hillside to determine

the exact position and form of the work.

Cardon’s initial concept for the project

stemmed from the idea of overlapping

planes of vibrant color to disrupt a visual

field. When the yellow cables interface

they create an optical motion, a moiré

pattern, which can disorient the viewer.

In the studio, Cardon had worked on

smaller sculptures made from similar

materials set on the floor, with the viewer

experiencing those works from above.

Beacon shifts the scale, allowing the

body’s full engagement with the sculpture.

The viewer is able to walk under and

through the work within deCordova’s

landscape.

Cardon continued, “You can see from the

preliminary sketch how Beacon evolved:

(see image) the two planes moved closer

to one another and further from the top of

the concrete pillars. Depending on the

angle from which they are viewed the

bright yellow fields can separate into thin

and delicate lines or appear as solid blocks

of color, evoking beams of light. When

viewed from above, the planes intersect

and add a disruptive motion to the

experience. Once the piece was installed,

I was pleased to watch how the weather,

seasons, and light change Beacon’s impact.

Certain angles of low, dappled, fall light

make it vanish into the landscape. Looking

up from underneath the yellow color is so

desaturated it almost disappears. The

motion of the clouds enhances the

perception of motion in the cables making

the viewer keenly aware of their balance

and their body in space”

Beacon is one of seven works included in

the Sculpture Park’s first thematic outdoor

exhibition, Architectural Allusions. Cardon

enjoys how Beacon communicates with

the minimalist sculpture Tower (DC) by Sol

LeWitt and also finds symmetry with the

museum building itself – the two concrete

pillars echoing the two brick towers just up

the hill.

PLATFORM 17: Beacon will be on view in

the Sculpture Park through May 2017.

AN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHANIE CARDON

BY JENNIFER SCHMITT, HEAD OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & DIGITAL STRATEGY

SUMMER 2016 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE 7

This

Page

: Im

age

cour

tesy

of S

teph

anie

Car

don;

Opp

osite

pag

e: P

hoto

s by

Sco

ut H

utch

inso

n

Sketches by Stephanie Cardon

Installation views of Beacon

8 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016

-ING CULTURAL ACCESSBY JULIE BERNSON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT

In late 2014, the Massachusetts Cultural Council designated deCordova one of the state’s inaugural UP organizations. UP can be translated as Universal Programming, Participation, Partnerships, Promotion, Plan-ning, or Progress. The main idea is that de-Cordova has made an ambitious commitment to those who might not otherwise be able to hear a guided tour, see the incredible art-work on view, stroll across the Park’s terrain, or read about the exhibited artists. In other

words, what most deCordova visitors take for granted about why and how they visit.

The poignant words from Jaimi Laird’s blog (see callout box) convey the universal quali-ties of a day at deCordova. Jaimi has been deaf and blind since birth and is a spokes-person for Perkins School for the Blind and an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. In addition to offering programs that make deCordova’s indoor and outdoor resources accessible to all, the UP organiza-tions are designated as leaders and inno-vators in the field who will serve to inspire other organizations. Training staff about providing a more inclusive museum culture, engaging user/experts in developing new initiatives, improving physical access and comfort in the buildings, and expanding out-reach to access groups have been hallmarks of our first year in this role.

To mark our second year as an UP orga-nization, we are partnering with other local UP organizations for our first ever Access Day on August 17. Touch Tours, American Sign Language (ASL) Tours, and

Paved Access Tours of the Sculpture Park will offer full access for adults and children with visual impairment, hearing loss, or mobility challenges. Universally-designed sculpture-making projects will inspire all ages and abilities to create like the artists on view. Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm ed-ucators will offer a sensory experience with animals designed especially for those with low or no vision and other multi-sensory learners. The Discovery Museums will likely

focus their activity around those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

It is our hope that all of deCordova’s visitors will join us on August 17 to raise awareness of the values and benefits of universal design—what makes it accessible for one group can make it more accessible to all—and decrease the barriers between access groups and other community mem-bers through exciting shared experiences.

Hello! I’m Jaimi Laird. I went to a beautiful place called the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, in July. I went with my friends and we had a lot of fun. It sure was hot that day, though.

We met our tour guides Aaron, an intern who is legally blind, and Emily. We looked at several sculptures in the park. There was the “DeCordova Ball” by Lars Fisk made from bricks. It was made to represent bigger buildings and what they look like.

We touched a huge stone head lying on the ground. I was so curious about how they carved the stone shapes of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. I really wanted to know if there was something inside the eye but it was just a deep hole in the stone. It was like the face was staring up to the sky. It’s called the “Listening Stone” by J. Wheelright.

We saw a tall human statue called “Eve Celebrant” by Marianna Pineda. I loved the way the arms were held out straight in front of her. I gave her a big hug. We also looked at “Tower” by Sol Lewitt that reminded me of our Howe Building at Perkins School for the Blind. The stones felt the same.

We walked across the park to “Two Big Black Hearts” by Jim Dine. They were huge, standing side by side. When we touched them, we could feel different objects on the surface like shoes, shells, a variety of tools and even a hand shaped like the letter D in sign language. We took a nice group photo in front of them.

Despite the hot sun that day, I loved all the sculptures and the trees and plants. Visiting the sculpture park really felt like a nice summer day thing to do.

SUMMER 2016 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE 9

Phot

ogra

phy

by M

eliss

a O

strow

-ING CULTURAL ACCESSBY JULIE BERNSON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT

PARTY FOR THE PARK 2016

Over 300 deCordova supporters gathered on May 7 to celebrate the Sculpture Park and Museum and three honorees: arts professional Joseph Thompson, Executive Director of MASS MoCA, arts patron and deCordova Trustee, Deborah Hawkins, and artist Richard Tuttle, one of the most important sculptors working today. Overseer Dan Mathieu and

his Max Ultimate team brought their usual flair and creativity to the evening. Co-chairs Dune Thorne and Neville McCaghren invited many new friends to join those who have been attending the Party for the Park for many years. The event raised $468,000, including a most-ever $200,000 during the Raise the Paddle. Thank you to all those who participated!

Neville McCaghren and Dune Thorne, co-chairs

Honoree Deborah Hawkins and deCordova Director John Ravenal

Honoree Joseph Thompson, founding director of MassMoCA

Raise the PaddleCrowd at the gala

Honoree artist Richard Tuttle Linda Hammett Ory Kate Gilbert, Robert Niculescu

10 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016

IMAGINE: AN (IDEAL) PARTNERSHIPImagine a community that believes so

strongly in the capacity of children they knocked on the door of the museum direc-

tor and simply asked, “Do you have space for a preschool?” Imagine a school where artists such as the world-renowned Sol LeWitt and Boston-based Stephanie Cardon are part of the curriculum that is created alongside the students.

Imagine sky-lit studio classrooms where sculptures, installations, and de-installations are part of the daily vocabulary.

Imagine a place where hundreds of educators from Massachusetts and across the world have come to be inspired and share their passion for teaching and learning.

Imagine an interactive exhibition designed collaboratively by preschool teachers and museum educators that documents the ques-tion, “What does the imagination look like?”

Imagine Lincoln Nursery School at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.There’s ready access to the thirty-acre

Sculpture Park, changing Museum exhibitions, contiguous conservation land, and all of deCordova’s facilities and staff. This spring, artist Stephanie Cardon collaborated with sixty Lincoln Nursery School children and their families on an exploration of light, perception, pattern, and color. Students from fourteen towns, aged almost-three to five-years-old, spend the day exploring, inventing, solving, creating, and teaching us all the power of self-discovery.

Above: Artist Julia von Eichel with LNS students; Right: LNS Imagination installation in The Square.

SUMMER 2016 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE 11

cred

it

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP AND ART LOAN PROGRAM

DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum’s Corporate Program is a membership initiative that offers Boston and Greater Boston area businesses exclusive benefits and the op-portunity to support deCordova and New England-based contemporary artists.

Membership benefits include:

• unlimited free admission for all your employees and immediate members of their families

• member pricing for all museum-sponsored ticketed events, workshops, and summer programming

• monthly email newsletter of deCordova’s programs and events

• recognition of support in the museum lobby

• discounts on rentals and in the café

At the beginning Patron Level of membership ($3600) deCordova staff will curate and install one to three artwork locations in your space. Higher levels involve more art. Our evolving inventory features original contemporary artwork from over 200 regional artists. Art loan exhibitions rotate annually to ensure that corporate

environments are fresh and vibrant for employees and clients. Site-specific Installations can provide your work community with a unique opportunity to observe exhibition processes and participate in cultural exchange with artists. For more information, please contact Sharon Glennon, Director of Corporate Relations and Art Loan Program, sglennon@decordova.org.

AMBER PRICESTAFF PROFILE

Membership Coordinator Amber Price joined the deCordova staff in Octo-ber 2014. Prior to her arrival, Amber worked at Danforth Art while she studied Studio Art, Art History, and Business Administration at Framingham State University.

What is the best part of your job? I get to interact with the Members on a daily basis, answering questions and helping with visits. I get to know them personally.

Do you get fun questions from Members? I get comments on my handwriting. My mom taught me and I dabble in calligraphy. Members send me emails saying they got their cards and they love my handwriting.

How do you come up with ideas for new Member programs like the 5K Trail Run on June 25?I like to run and deCordova is a great place to be active. It’ll be a fun way to discover the park and the Lincoln conservation trails. With programs, I can reach new audiences to show why Membership at deCordova is so awesome. Membership supports spontaneous visits, you can drop in and destress for half an hour at any time.

Anything else you’d like to say to visitors? Remember, deCordova Sculpture Park is animal-friendly (as long as they are on a leash). Bring your dog and let me know, I love saying hello to the poochies!

12 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016

Mic

hael

Maz

ur, I

ce G

len,

199

3, o

il on

can

vas,

82

x 91

in.,

Gift

of t

he A

rtist.

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHT: MICHAEL MAZUR’S ICE GLEN

JENNIFER R. GROSS, CHIEF CURATOR AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CURATORIAL AFFAIRS

ICE GLEN, 1993 —to Michael

Ice Glen, a side trip on our trip

to see old friends. Our plan,

a hike, and then there was the thought

of Hawthorne and Melville,

a century earlier, and their friends,

sitting on boulders singing,

drinking, and “telling tales,” calling

across the romantic mossed abyss—

we knew their incipient romance

crashed and burned…. Steamy

August afternoon in Stockbridge,

the sun above us a round flame.

Romantic to have thought of hiking up,

then down to the ravine, the icy chasm

someone once called a curious fissure.

Might it be like a bottomless well

we’d each drop a wishing stone into?

We only got close. What you saw there

you saw with your inner eye, a radiance;

what I saw was unfathomable, sunless.

Frigid, frosted, the air that turned us back.

Too cold for us, but we were laughing

as we fled to Main Street. Cold,

but I wish our two souls were there now

together in that dappled underworld.

—Gail Mazur

DECORDOVA | STORE A GEM WITHIN A GEM

781.259.8692 DECORDOVA.ORG/STORE

SUMMER 2016 DECORDOVA MAGAZINE 3

Mic

hael

Maz

ur, I

ce G

len,

199

3, o

il on

can

vas,

82

x 91

in.,

Gift

of t

he A

rtist.

This winter, at the inspiration of

Executive Director John Ravenal, we

inaugurated a new program in the

second floor window gallery to bring focus

to exceptional rarely seen artworks from

deCordova’s permanent collection. Works

will be rotated periodically to allow mem-

bers and visitors to experience the breadth

of artwork owned by the Museum. The first

painting selected is Michael Mazur’s Ice

Glen which came into the collection as a

gift from the artist in 1998.

Mazur, a New England-based artist, had

a long and rich association with deCor-

dova. The Museum owns twelve of his

works, consisting of paintings, drawings,

and prints. His art was shown in numerous

exhibitions, including a retrospective in

1998. Mazur experimented with different

mediums and artistic styles with the natural

world as a consistent focus. His earliest

works are muted representational varia-

tions of his source material, but over

time he adopted a more varied color

palette and expressive, gestural approach

to painting.

Ice Glen belongs to Mazur’s early 1990s

Branching series that marked his first foray

into abstraction. This shift was influenced

by his fascination with Chinese scroll paint-

ing from the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368).

After undergoing heart surgery in 1993,

Mazur began to paint compositions that

resemble the delicate filigree of arteries.

Here he employed an array of textural

effects to produce lines in charcoal black

and ghostly white that cascade over the

surface of the canvas. Despite its non-rep-

resentational style, the work recalls natural

forms, such as bare winter branches or

frost patterns. The overall effect is both

turbulent and tranquil.

In addition to enabling the presentation

of unseen works from the collection, this

Highlights initiative also provides an

opportunity to experiment with interpreta-

tive material in the galleries. In keeping

with this idea, we invited Mazur’s widow,

poet Gail Mazur, to respond to the paint-

ing in a manner she deemed appropriate.

The work inspired her to write a poem,

“Ice Glen”, which we are presenting

alongside our standard interpretative

text to add the enrichment of a voice

from outside the Museum to our visitor’s

experience.

MAZUR, A NEW ENGLAND-BASED ARTIST, HAD A LONG AND RICH ASSOCIATION WITH DECORDOVA. THE MUSEUM OWNS TWELVE OF HIS WORKS, CONSISTING OF PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, AND PRINTS. HIS ART WAS SHOWN IN NUMEROUS EXHIBITIONS, INCLUDING A RETROSPECTIVE IN 1998.

DECORDOVA | STORE A GEM WITHIN A GEM

781.259.8692 DECORDOVA.ORG/STORE

Phot

o by

Ric

k M

ansfi

eld

of A

ncho

r Im

ager

y

51 SANDY POND ROAD | LINCOLN, MA 01773

A VENUE FOR ALL SEASONS & ALL REASONSTO LEARN MORE ABOUT EVENTS AT DECORDOVA

PLEASE CONTACT LINDSAY LEETE AT EVENTS@DECORDOVA.ORG OR 781.259.3661

Presort StandardU.S. Postage Paid

N. Reading, MAPermit #211