NEWBURYPORT — Outdoor Sculpture has returned to Maudslay State Park. The exhibition runs through Sept. 29.
An artist reception and self-guided tour takes place Sunday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m. at Maudslay State Park. Stop by Riverwalk Brewing Company on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. for a “Thread” photo exhibit and meet the artists celebration.
Among the artists are Nancy Dudley, and Lynne and Jay Havighurst, all of Essex;dCharles Edward Brewer, Kerry Mullen and Sinikka Nogelo, all of Gloucester; Nina Kruschwitz of Ipswich; and Cape Ann native James Seavey. Caroline Bagenal, the Geotemann Artist in Residence at Ocean Alliance in Gloucester through Oct. 2, also has piece in the show.
For 25 years, Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay has provided a three-week non-juried exhibition featuring local artists and community members interested in sharing their understanding of the world through site-specific sculptures in Maudslay State Park. The annual show, which has produced over 950 works of art, is open to all artists with a connection to the North Shore and Merrimack Valley and is organized by participating artists who volunteer their time and materials. Reflecting upon the desire to explore material boundaries, concepts, and themselves, this year’s group of 49-plus artists chose “Thread” as the theme for the 25th anniversary show.
Participants include a poet laureate, a retired art teacher, a former puppeteer, a former African wildlife conservation worker, at least two graphic designers, a store owner, an author/illustrator, homeschool students, a bass player, a Reiki healer, a former town selectman, two web designers, a yoga instructor, a machine builder, a structural engineer, a ceramics engineer, an architect, a multimedia composer/musician, and more.
For the first time, there will also be artworks across the street at the park’s music pasture, near where summer concerts are held. These include a 10-foot-wide flower, a labyrinth, an 8-foot-by-8-foot fan, a bridge of sticks and rope, and more. Altogether, there will be 49 installations for viewers to ponder.
Winner of a 2005 Gold Star Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay has been recognized as a model community art project celebrating quality, accessibility, diversity, and collaboration. Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay is supported in part by grants from the Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury Cultural Councils, local agencies that are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Free printed catalogs will be available in artistic mailboxes at the two main entrances to the park. Trailhead signs will provide instructions for downloading a simple virtual catalog, including the map, photos of each piece, artist’s statements, and their bios.
Maudslay State Park is located at 74 Curzon Mill Road, Newburyport.
More information is available by visiting www.maudslaysculpture.org, or www.facebook.com/SculptureAtMaudslay/
