ArtsUnion Sculpture Series Opening

Five artists, who work in the fields of architecture, ceramics and sculpture, have created site-specific installations for Union Square’s urban landscape. The unifying theme of this work recycling, growth and environmental awareness. Look for sprouting mushrooms, recycled topiary Christmas trees and a plant emerging from the back of a solitary human figure. Collectively, we hope these installations will encourage passersby to consider Union as a dynamic, green-friendly urban landscape. The work will remain up for winter and early spring.

Exhibit Opening and Artist-lead Tour is on Saturday, February 6th at 4:30 pm at 90 Union Square.
This event is presented by the Somerville Arts Council’s ArtsUnion initiative.

The five installations:

Recycled House
Chong-Zi Chen’s has created the frame of a small house using stainless steel. In a participatory project (date to be announced), Chen invites the public to fill this house frame with recycled materials.

Somerville Topiary Farm
Meera Deean and Elizabeth Stoel present “Somerville Topiary Farm” athat takes the most obvious detritus of Christmas-the multitude of dead Christmas trees-and gives it new life.

The Caterpillar’s Garden
Marisa Dipaola’s sculptures suggest children’s storybooks coming to life. For this exhibit, she has created “The Caterpillar’s Garden,” a grouping of brilliantly glowing mushrooms, evoking the caterpillar’s habitat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Ripplerun
Bevan Weissman’s piece, “Ripplerun,” a tree of stainless steel and cement, is a functional sculpture meant to provide an alternative awning from rain and nasty weather.

Still Growing
Wen Xiong Lin’s piece, “Still Growing,” is a ceramic vessel-a solitary human figure-that serves as a tree planter. A young plant will emerge from the figure’s back, suggesting nature’s dependence on mankind for survival.