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Artpark presents new public art installations; ''Bower,' 'Earthsong' and 'Percussion Garden' now open

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Thu, Jul 28th 2016 01:45 pm

Each year, Artpark offers a variety of public art experiences for visitors of all ages. This year's new installations each include an interactive element and are free to experience during park hours (dawn-dusk daily).

Artpark will host an opening reception and a walking tour from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, starting at the site of "Bower," by Ellen Driscoll and Joyce Hwang.

About the installations:

•The inaugural commission created in collaboration with City as Living Laboratory, or "CALL," "Bower" is a multimedia installation joining glass with a series of interrelated architectural structures meant to promote awareness and interest in local bird species.

"Bower," by Driscoll and Hwang, University at Buffalo faculty members, also intends to draw attention to the perils of bird-strike window collisions.

A related educational program curated by the Buffalo Audubon Society will coincide with the Aug. 11 opening reception.

This installation, curated by returning Artpark artist Mary Miss ("Blind Set 1976") and her City as Living Laboratory organization, is the inaugural program for a new, multi-year initiative at Artpark: "Artpark as Living Laboratory." This initiative is intended to transform Artpark into a place where artists are offered opportunities to develop strategies that advance environmental awareness, literacy and sustainable development.

•Earthsong, a motion-sensored sound installation created by Carin Jean White and based on conversations with local Haudenosaunee, comes alive in the intimate wooded area around the Hopewell mound in Artpark's lower park. It is open to the public through this fall and shares Native American heritage and culture, as it draws attention to the natural environment of the area.

The project was created and is managed in partnership between Artpark; White, an independent artist in residence; the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Interpretive Department; the Lewiston Council on the Arts; and arts and cultural colleagues in the Haudenosaunee communities.

•Artpark's "Percussion Garden" is a series of installations presenting playful opportunities for visitors to explore different ways to interact and produce sound. As with any garden, it is the intention of Artpark & Company to see this garden grow and evolve over the seasons.

Located in the lower park near the Emerald Grove stage, the "Percussion Garden" currently includes:

  • "Swing Set" by David Cossin (Bang on a Can)
  • "Chime Tree" by Cossin with "Lawn Chairs" by Artpark's own Tanis Winslow, Stephanie Kowalski, Jasper Reese and the "Adventure Department"
  • "Earth Drums" by Glenn Kotche (Wilco)
  • "Make It Rain" by Julian Majewski (OCAD)
  • "Scorpiotron" by Dave Hind (aka Thingmaker). This element is a temporary, freestanding musical instrument available to the public on from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 28.

The Artpark "Percussion Garden" live program is curated by the UB percussion ensemble's Tom Kolor, with members playing "Scorpiotron" from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., and offering a Sunday afternoon concert series titled "Music in the Woods" (check the Artpark website for upcoming schedule.)

The opening reception and walking tour schedule for Aug. 11 at the "Bower" installation site (located at the entrance to the upper gorge trail) will include:

  • 6 p.m.: "Bower" presentation by Mary Miss, Hwang and Driscoll, Lauren Makeyenko of Audubon Society and Katharina Dittmar, consulting ecologist at UB
  • 7 p.m.: "Earthsong" presentation by creator White and consulting partner Belinda Patterson
  • 7:30 p.m.: "Percussion Garden" presentation by UB percussion ensemble

For more information, visit artpark.net.

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