INVERSE opens at the Lynden Sculpture Garden

The latest installment of INSIDE/OUTSIDE, the series of invitational collaborations sponsored by the Lynden Sculpture Garden, is called INVERSE and is by Amy Cropper and Stuart Morris. The opening was yesterday – and they lucked out with a gorgeous day (finally!) They deserved it because the show is wonderful! As billed, they took the theme more literally than previous participants (which – full disclosure – included Phil Krejcarek and me last fall.) On the inside they filled the gallery with a boulder and natural branches. The boulder sits enthroned in the center of the room and the branches arch overhead. The effect is quite magical, like a fairytale ballroom. I imagined a hookah-smoking caterpillar perched atop the boulder.

To complete the INVERSE concept, natural objects (trees and rocks) on the outside were dispersed around the landscape, but painted brightly. The colors of these altered forms were chosen to resonate with some of the painted sculptures in the permanent collection. The bright red, orange, and yellow trees and rocks also contrasted with the “real” trees and rocks around them. These reminded me a little of some of the glass installations that Chihuly has done in landscape settings, but being made from nature and then repurposed as sculptures adds conceptual complexity that I found intriguing. The pictures hardly do them justice, especially the gallery installation. It really must be seen in situ to be appreciated.

INVERSE continues through August 10. To read more about it, go to the Lynden Garden website.

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Inside/Outside is taken literally at the Lynden Sculpture Garden

Ever since the Lynden Sculpture Garden opened to the public a year ago, one of the many innovative programming features has been the ongoing series of artist collaborations called Inside/Outside. The series invites pairs of artists to create collaborative installations both inside the gallery and outside among the permanent collection and around the grounds. The fifth installment in the series, by Amy Cropper and Stuart Morris, is due to open this Sunday, June 12 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. I happened to catch the two of them yesterday as they dragged a 1,400 lb. boulder into the building for the gallery installation.

Their installation is called Inverse and they plan to take the Inside/Outside theme much more literally than any of the previous teams. They were only just getting started so I can't show any pictures of the completed work, but the idea is to bring nature indoors and to make art out of natural objects outdoors that will "bring them into conversation with the sculptures" of the permanent collection. It's an idea that appeals to me, as those who know me can well imagine. Nature. Art. Nature and art together? What great idea!

They're doing something dramatic with all those branches, too. I can't wait to see the finished installations. 

Of course, I rarely need an excuse to visit the Lynden, but it will also provide one more opportunity to peruse the excellent permanent collection up close. (Here is a detail of one of my favorites, by Clement Meadmore.)

The sculptures look different every time I go there because of their elegant marriage with the beautiful landscape. But I also like to get off the groomed lawns and enjoy the garden's natural features, like these tiny flowers I discovered in the birch grove. 

For more information about Inverse, the opening, and the two artists, go to the Lynden website. Maybe I'll see you there on Sunday.