Artist Reception: Thistle

Art in Public Places, a Medfield Foundation initiative announces the installation of “Thistle,” a temporary outdoor art project by Maynard artist Catherine Evans. “Thistle” is free and open to the public from dawn to dusk through October, 2015 at the former Medfield State Hospital at 45 Hospital Road in Medfield, MA. A reception with the artist will be held Sat. May 16 from 2 – 4 pm. A walking tour with John Thompson, Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee will begin at 2:30 pm. The reception is free and open to the public.

The Thistle installation is based on a piece the artist created for an ancient apple tree in her backyard. The project first became public in 2011 with nine bands installed as part of Art in the Park, in historic Elm Park (Worcester). Evans realized the celebratory appropriateness of both the bright pink color and form. The Long Horned Beetle infestation had forced the removal of 28,000 trees, leaving both parks and people devastated. These bands of Thistles gave the trees a very distinct look of celebration as victors of the blight.

In the Medfield installation, the goal is to also draw attention to the former State Hospital property, purchased by the town in December, 2014. “As the master planning process begins, it’s important to invite people onto the property, encourage them to experience this resource, and participate in conversations about its future. We hope the artwork helps people imagine new uses for the site,” says Art in Public Places Chairman Jean Mineo, organizer of the installation.

Forty-five Thistles are installed along Hospital Road and on both sides of the expansive front lawn area. More than 75 volunteers from the Medfield Girl Scouts, the Council on Aging, the Blake Middle School art program and others helped assemble the Thistles in March and April. The largest trees required 2,000 cable ties. Mineo says, “the Scouts and their leaders are an impressive team and the conversations about opportunities and needs for the property across generations is as important as the finished pieces.” Medfield TV created a YouTube video of a Thistle making workshop with the girl scouts at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF1XVxJOosc

Catherine Evans’ art deals with the repurposing of common objects; transforming everyday materials into the powerful, and the unordinary; stretching preconceived notions about that object. Multiples and repetition are an important part of her work. www.CatherineEvansArt.com

The Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee (MSHMPC) will be working on the Medfield State Hospital Strategic Reuse Master Plan with the consulting firm of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), a national firm with an office located in Watertown, MA. For more information, visit www.MSHVision.net.

“Thistle” is supported in part by a grant from the Medfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Additional support received by Advanced Cable Ties in Gardner, MA.