deCordova sculpture park + museum

Those who make the trek out to Lincoln to visit DeCordova Sculpture Park + Museum, will not be disappointed. Not only is there a contemporary art museum, but it is surrounded by a 35 acre sculpture park - the only one like it in New England. This summer they installed 4 new sculptures in the park.

1. Steven Siegel installed a site specific piece in an old barn foundation on the grounds that has never housed a sculpture before. A team of volunteers worked with him to stack over-printed donated newspapers into a large form that will eventually deteriorate and merge with the landscape more than it already does.
http://decordova.com/decordova/sculp_park/siegel.html

2. Douglas Kornfeld has a sculpture that you cannot miss as you drive into the park. The iconic modern symbol for man is half sunk/half rising out of the ground like a ruin of modern times. It is a huge red piece that commands your attention. An interesting fact about the sculpture is that the base within the ground is almost as deep as the sculpture is tall, to prevent it from taking off like a sail. The sculpture is based off a Percy Shelley poem, which can be read here:
http://decordova.com/decordova/sculp_park/kornfeld.htm

3. Sol LeWitt is a famous conceptual artist. Many of his projects are actually just instructions for making wall drawings or structures, such as the concrete tower that is positioned on the main lawn at DeCordova. The 16-foot structure is made of concrete blocks stacked in a configuration designed by LeWitt.
http://decordova.com/decordova/sculp_park/sollewitt.html

4. There is a strange looking clubhouse-like building nestled in the woods, which is actually a research station designed by the collaborative team of Bartow + Metzgar. This project is based off satellite images of DeCordova and they will be collecting geologic samples on the grounds. Half science, half design, the data collected during the project helps determine patterns and final outcome. The research station will be up for a year while the duo periodically collect samples from the grounds, after which the structure will be exhibited within the galleries alongside other aspects of the project.
http://decordova.com/decordova/sculp_park/bartowmetzgar.html

In addition to these new sculptures, the exhibit this past summer, Old, Weird America, was really exciting. The show was about folk themes in current and contemporary art. At the opening, the Lincoln Minute Men marched through the galleries and fired off their guns out back!