30 x 30: #23 – Visit the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

This was the first day of my “staycation” and with this morning’s visit to the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum I’ve done six things on my list and I’ve got two or three more coming this week so get ready!

If you’ve read this blog at all over the past four years, you’re well aware that I love art. What you might not be aware of is that sculpture is one of my favorite art forms. I’m not sure How I first heard about this park, but when I did I knew I wanted to get out to see it and it was such a neat day trip, I will definitely go back out in the near future. I took advantage of my local library’s museum passes and only had to pay $5 instead of $14!

Make sure to check your local library! So many do this and so many people don’t know about it. There is a museum on site in addition to the outdoor sculpture park and there was a cool exhibit about words as/and art and I apparently missed a cool exhibit on the roof, oh darn I’ll have to go back. One of the cool things I didn’t get a great picture of called Haven by Jarrett Mellenbruch, and as an art piece it wasn’t all that striking, but as an installation and funcitonal piece it’s incredibly smart. It’s designed as a live honeybee habitat to encourage repopulation after their recent decline.

Not only was there a stunning view from the museum, which is on a hill (above left), but there were awesome stone pathways that are just as artistic as many of the sculptures. I really appreciated the mix of sculptures in open space in the sun and in the shady wooded areas. And this being an outdoor park allows for large pieces:

Red, Yellow and Blue by Orly Gengar (top three above) stretched throughout the grounds and at its highest was a good few feet taller than me, I’m 6’2″, and the giant tubes/pipes of DeWitt Godfrey’s Lincoln (above bottom) couldn’t go anywhere else. I loved how both these artists used the natural environment to adapt and influence their pieces. Definitely check out the deCordova website to see more pictures as mine don’t do either of these pieces justice. The white piece, Tower (DC) by Sol LeWitt, isn’t that large and honestly felt reductionist, but the idea behind it is brilliant and reminded me of all my time spent playing Minecraft recently.

Another great thing about this being an outdoor park rather than an indoor installation is the stumbling across pieces:

I apparently drove past the marble piece, Humming by Jaume Plensa, on the way in but I didn’t see it and honestly when I came across it from rounding a bend it freaked me out a bit. I couldn’t help but think about the people who discovered the Easter Island heads and how much bigger they are! The second piece was in a shaded area just of the top floor of the museum and the name was what struck me more than anything! It’s called Time at the Museum by Robert Schelling and when I got home and read about it on the website the idea is brilliant! I also stumbled across the brick piece, DeCordova Ball by Lars Fisk wandering around near the shop on my way out. I love it when an artist takes unusual materials and makes something simple out of them. There was another piece by Fisk, Parking Ball, in which he used concrete and parking paint in a sphere. It simultaneously brought to mind the immensity of brick structures and road-ways and the infinity of the sphere.

The final piece, which was actually the first I noticed driving through, is Two Big Black Hearts by Jim Dine. My interpretation was much darker than what is on the website. At first all you see are the two giant hearts and as you get nearer you realize there are faces and hands and tools cast within the hearts. Honestly, it was super creepy and I’m glad it wasn’t as sadistic or dark as I first thought. You should definitely read about it on the site AND see the beautiful photo of the piece in the snow!

I’m so glad I went and I can’t wait to go back with friends. It’s a perfect short day trip and it would be a great place to have lunch and wander around for a few hours!