We Are Still Listening
Symphony Park | Somerville, MA
2022
“We Are Still Listening” was sculpted from a large tree trunk left standing from a deceased and once magnificent copper beech tree in Symphony Park. This park had once been the location of the Conant-Hadley home, c. 1869, which housed a family of outstanding musicians, of piano, violin, and cello, as well as a renowned composer and conductor, Henry Kimball Hadley, who founded the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in western Massachusetts.
My sculpture embraces the perseverance of the spirit of music, the rich legacy of this family and their historical significance to our city. Through the imagination of harmonic music emanating from the sculpture, an invitation is offered to fantasize about this music, listening to the vibration of the musical notes, creating the sense that everyone is a spectator who passes by and can still hear the music.
Mother and Child
Marshall Street Children’s Park | Somerville, MA
2020
I was granted the privilege of sculpting the remaining trunk of a deceased red elm tree in the corner of the Marshall Street Children’s Park. This work peeked my imagination in how I could sculpt this tree trunk to leave a gift for the enjoyment of children and others who frequently visit the park. I wanted to express some happiness and elevation of spirit during the pandemic and the social isolation which we were experiencing at the time.
Wood sculpting is a continuously evolving process and the wood usually dictates to me how a form can be sculpted, sometimes changing my ideas, pushing my thoughts and the sculpting in other directions. In an urban landscape, sculpting a tree trunk can be more challenging and this was no exception; the elm had grown around a fence within the park and I had to adapt my sculpting to this obstacle, as well as to the general condition of the wood.
From a distance and through masks, I met many of the neighbors throughout this project. Their expressions of curiosity, their encouragement, and their delight at having a unique sculpture in this park created an element of social interaction between the artist and the park’s visitors, culminating in an authentic community work.
Although wood sculptures exposed to the elements can be ephemeral pieces of art, this sculpture is a special gift to Somerville in a moment in time for all of its visitors.