A big Thank you to New England Foundation for the Arts who supported the “Pathways” project from beginning to end.
Hope to see you all at the Ribbon-cutting of “Pathways” November 4 at 4 pm at Market Basket in Fitchburg, MA. Be sure to check the piece out in person on Water Street if you haven’t seen it yet!
This Saturday, October 16, I will return to the 2010 Fitchburg Forge-In Blacksmith Festival. It will be held at Riverfront Park in Fitchburg from 10 am to 5 pm. Since I was there last year, we decided it would be nice to return to discuss the project and show the progress to date.
We will also be inviting everyone to the “Pathways” Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony November 4th at 4 pm at Market Basket.
Hope to see you this Saturday!
I presented a lecture Tuesday, October 27 at FSC in the Ellis White Lecture Hall. This lecture was about public art, and my current thinking on the imagery and artwork that will grace the Water Street Bridge.
Then, upstairs in the Hammond Gallery I discussed the pieces that were on exhibit and the inspiration and process behind creating each piece. Both events were well attended and I received lots of questions and interest from the students. Check out the exhibit! It is up until December 1.
View the exhibition photos by Cate Brown here.
(Above: T&G Staff Photos / MARK C. IDE)
The Fitchburg Cultural Alliance and I had a booth at the 2009 Fitchburg Forge-in to talk with people in attendance about the Art on Water Street Bridge project. Everyone that I stopped to chat with throughout the day was very polite, and thoughtful with their opinions. It was also great to hear that people had heard of the project either through the FATV short video (coming soon), or from the banner that is hanging at the foot of Water Street Bridge. If someone had not yet heard of the project, they were eager to offer ideas and thrilled with the concept of public art on Water Street Bridge.
Some highlights from the people I spoke with include:
“Fitchburg is a surrounded by a horse-shoe of hills.”
“Tell a story, because people stop and go a lot on the bridge. With a story there can be a beginning, middle and an end.”
Coggeshell Park was a ‘real treasure’ and one woman fondly remembers taking her kids to feed the swans.
Some imagery that is swirling around in my head is:
Wheels. Water. Paper. Bricks. Architecture. Industry. Diversity. Motion. Movement. Energy. Patterns.
While several people I spoke with were not from Fitchburg, it was still an opportunity to hear about their opinions of Fitchburg and what they could imagine as inviting. It was delightful to speak with people of all ages. I also enjoyed spending time with the two police officers that were working the festival. It was apparent that they loved the civic environment and were proud of their hometown. They believed that the buildings and infrastructure are the foundation of Fitchburg.
Susan Madacsi was the juror at this years festival, you can view her work here.
Thanks to everyone that braved the fall chill, made it to the festival and stopped for a moment. Personally, I’d like to thank Monty Tech for providing the hot soup that kept a lot of us going throughout the day! Lastly, kudos to Achla for creating a wonderful event.
Fitchburg is my home, not just the place I live.
— Diane
Forge a decorative panel or register to show off your skills with live forging! Lots of cash prizes and fun to be had at The third annual Fitchburg Forge-In Saturday October 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Riverfront Park off Boulder Drive, in Fitchburg, MA.
I look forward to this next event where I will get to meet and speak with all of you in attendance, as well as participate in some forging myself!
Get your registration form with all of the details here.
Mary Chapin Durling and I spent Thursday in Boston at NEFA for a grantee gathering. Marty Pottenger discussed her work and past projects. Joel Straus and Lynn Basa worked with artists to develop professional practices. It was a good day to hear about other projects and network.
