Sculpture Garden

The Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services maintain an exhibit of outdoor sculpture in the Council's Sculpture Garden. The garden is located at the Council offices at 134-136 State Street in Montpelier, next door to the Capital Region Visitors Center and is fully accessible.

The Sculpture Garden is a public/private collaboration that features rotating two-year exhibits of contemporary work created by Vermont artists. Designed in 2002 by Burlington landscape architects H. Keith Wagner and Associates, it offers a place to picnic or engage in quiet reflection in Montpelier's downtown.

SiteTime

Opening October 6, 2017. Reception 4-7 p.m. in conjunction with Montpelier's Art Walk.

Michael​ ​Zebrowski,​ ​curator | Kelly​ ​Holt,​ ​assistant​ ​curator | Martin​ ​De​ Geus,​ technical​ ​assistant

“The​ ​tree​ ​is​ ​an​ ​element​ ​of​ ​regeneration​ ​which​ ​in​ ​itself​ ​is​ ​a​ ​concept​ ​of​ ​time.”​ ​(Joseph​ ​Beuys​ ​in  conversation​ ​with​ ​Richard​ ​Demarco,​ ​1982)

The ​theme​ of this exhibit considers​ ​time​ ​specificity​ ​relevant​ ​to site​ ​specificity​ ​in​ ​the​ ​practice​ ​of​ ​contemporary​ ​sculpture,​ ​installation​ ​art​, ​and​ ​performance.​ ​The  work​ ​installed​ ​for​ ​​"SiteTime"​ ​​invites​ ​the​ ​public​ ​to​ ​think​ ​about​ ​and​ ​create​ ​new​ ​perspectives​ ​of what​ ​is​ ​then,​ ​what​ ​is​ ​now​, ​and​ ​what​ ​is​ ​to​ ​come — ​all​ ​relative​ ​to​ ​Vermont​ ​and​ ​our​ ​global​ ​relativity.

Erika​ ​Senft​ ​Miller,​ ​Nancy​ ​Winship​ ​Milliken​, ​and​ ​Michael​ ​Zebrowski​ ​will​ ​work​ ​collaboratively performing​ ​additive​ ​and​ ​subtractive​ ​actions​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Sculpture​ ​Garden​ ​over​ ​time.​ ​A​ ​note​ ​on​ ​the exhibition​ ​format:​ ​This​ ​two​ ​year​ ​sculpture​ ​exhibition​ ​will​ ​be​ ​a​ ​departure​ ​from​ ​the​ ​standard  where​ ​work​ ​created​ ​off​ ​site​ ​is​ ​placed​ ​and​ ​left​ ​for​ ​the​ ​public​ ​to​ ​view,​ ​unchanged​ ​for​ ​the​ ​duration of​ ​the​ ​exhibit.​ ​The​ ​work​ ​created​ ​by​ ​this​ ​collaborative​ ​will​ ​evolve​ ​over​ ​the​ ​course​ ​of​ ​the exhibition​ ​timeframe​ ​in​ ​conjunction​ ​with​ ​a​ ​two​ ​year​ ​cycle​ ​of​ ​cordwood.​ ​Physical​ ​constructions, video​ ​and​ ​sound​ ​installations,​ ​artifacts,​ ​event​-​based​ ​movement​ ​performances,​ ​and​ ​stacks​ ​of slowly​ ​drying​ ​cordwood​ ​will​ ​intentionally​ ​and​ ​naturally​ ​change​ ​as​ ​the​ ​artists​ ​respond​ ​to​ ​current and​ ​ongoing​ ​cordwood​ ​rhythm.​ ​The​ ​artists​ ​have​ ​chosen​ ​to​ ​work​ ​directly​ ​with​ ​the​ ​cyclical  activity​ ​of​ ​sourcing,​ ​processing,​ ​and​ ​consuming​ ​cordwood​ ​for​ ​heat​ ​during​ ​the​ ​cold​ ​months  because​ ​of​ ​its​ ​vital​ ​way​ ​of​ ​connecting​ ​our​ ​hands​ ​and​ ​our​ ​energy​ ​to​ ​the​ Earth​ ​as​ ​it​ ​rotates around​ ​the​ ​sun.​ ​The​ ​cordwood​ ​process​ ​itself​ ​is​ ​active​ ​and​ ​constantly​ ​in​ ​flux.​ ​The​ ​artists​ ​are collectively​ ​taking​ ​direct​ ​cues​ ​from​ ​researching​ ​and​ ​experiencing​ ​the​ ​process​ ​for​ ​themselves​ ​in  creation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​work — all​ ​in​ ​an​ ​effort​ ​to​ ​share​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of​ ​new​ ​perspectives​ ​of​ ​an​ ​age​ ​old  practice.​ The​ ​actions​ ​and​ ​physical​ ​products​ ​will​ ​be​ ​encountered,​ ​discussed,​ ​and​ ​documented. Evolution​ ​of​ ​the​ ​exhibition​ ​answers​ ​the​ ​question​ ​of​ ​what​ ​makes​ ​space​ ​productive​ ​and challenging​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time.​ ​The​ ​community​ ​will​ ​be​ ​invited​ ​to​ ​participate​ ​as​ ​elements​ ​of​ ​the exhibition​ ​are​ ​revealed.​ ​The​ ​clock​ ​will​ ​start​ ​ticking​ ​in​ ​October​ ​2017.

The​ ​entrance​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Sculpture​ ​Garden​ ​will​ ​be​ ​anchored​ ​by​ ​Justin​ ​Kenney’s​ ​“Eating​ ​of​ ​Morals.” Kenney’s​ ​monumental​ ​concrete​ ​sculpture​ ​was​ ​chosen​ ​from​ ​a​ ​competitive​ ​call​ ​to​ ​artists​ ​who  participated​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Vermont​ ​Arts​ ​Council’s​ ​Breaking​ ​Into​ ​Business​ ​workshop.​ ​Kenney’s​ ​choice of​ ​material​ ​is​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​the​ ​utilitarian​ ​concrete​ ​substance​ ​to​ ​a​ ​place​ ​of​ ​dialogue — rooted​ ​in  society​ ​and​ ​culture.​ ​As​ ​with​ ​the​ ​wood,​ ​Kenney’s​ ​piece​ ​is​ ​transformative.​ ​Created​ ​from​ ​negative space,​ ​the​ ​wax​ ​molds​ ​holding​ ​the​ ​concrete​ ​reveal​ ​the​ ​two​ ​forms​ ​coming​ ​together.