The Artist’s Journey: Exploring the path of the Contemplative Sculpture Garden
-By Pamela Underhill
As the Project Manager of the Contemplative Sculpture Garden, I spend a lot of time thinking about and listening to people’s ideas about this huge opportunity that Convergence has provided our community.
How the Project Began:
In 2010 I started thinking about ways to revitalize the front yard between the parking lot and the main church building. I am a landscape designer, so naturally gravitate towards this pattern of thought. The lawn had seen better days. There were a number of deep holes from the roots of fallen trees, along with many low spots that became swampy in the rain. This was the beginning of the site assessment, a critical component of any landscape design.
The Dreamy Side:
In my mind’s eye I saw the beauty of this open, treed area and began to imagine artists putting on outdoor plays, musicians having concerts, poets reciting from tops of boulders, children exploring pathways through sculptures. There could be a tent erected for special events, a patio for gathering and quiet lunches near the office. The largest element of this vision is of a labyrinth with people walking slowly, in repeating switchback circles. There would be benches and café tables, places for sitting quietly or in conversation and celebration.
Practicum:
Last fall, 2014, a contractor donated and delivered several tons of fill dirt to Convergence. We were able to hire one of his skid drivers to shape the dirt into the mounds that are now in the yard. I would like to continue to add more height in some areas and extend them in others, eventually installing built-in seating walls.
This past spring, 2015, we broke ground on the patio area. So far, all of the pavers and flagstones have been donated. A Landscape company installed the compacted, gravel base and set the brick edge in concrete to create a secure form that will drain water to the lawn. We are still in need of more brick pavers to finish the patio.
To-date, two artists, Karen Swenholt and myself, have mounted their sculptures around the garden. The discussion for formulating a plan to include a variety of temporary and permanent sculptures is on going. We are dependent on volunteers and financial aid to keep the garden developing. Please come join us in finishing the patio and this fall’s project: the Labyrinth.
Over the coming months, I will be writing about the on going conversations for the Contemplative Sculpture Garden. you can email me at: Underhill.Pamela@gmail.com or visit the Contemplative Sculpture Garden group to join the conversation as it happens.
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