The Middletown Art Center (MAC) invites the public to join in festivities to celebrate the reopening, and 14th season of the EcoArts Sculpture Walk at the Middletown Trailside Park.
“We have been waiting nearly 4 years for this moment and are very excited” said Lisa Kaplan, Programs Director at MAC. “Although the Valley Fire devastated the park and the 2015 Sculpture Walk, regrowth is happening throughout the park with young Manzanitas, oak shrubs, grasses and wildflowers coming up everywhere! There is more work to be done to continue to help restore the natural environment, but things are coming back much better than I expected!”
EcoArts Sculpture Walk was a popular Lake County Destination before the fire. MAC has worked closely with The County of Lake’s Public Services Department in the past few months to set parameters for artwork, and to prepare the trails. The Walk now has a new location at the South East section of the park.
“We called this year’s exhibit LOCUS to honor the sense of place that is emerging as we continue to recover and rebuild here in South Lake County,” added Kaplan. “Reopening the Sculpture Walk and through it, increased public use of the park, is a milestone in our recovery!”
The Sculpture Walk will officially open at 4 p.m. this coming Saturday June 1. The exhibit includes sculptures that reflect on the natural environment or address eco-system restoration by artists who participated in the Sculpture Walk in the past, as well as new Eco-Artists. Cobb Mountain Elementary students are also participating in with bat boxes installed high up along the trail. Poetry Readings (5 to 5:30 p.m.), Music, and wish making for the park will be part of the celebration.
The MAC encourages the public to visit the Trailside Park and re-engage with what was, what is and what will come in the future.
The 14th Annual EcoArts Sculpture Walk will remain on view through October 15. The park is open dawn to dusk daily free to the public. Hiking shoes, hats, and water bottles are advised. Middletown Trailside Park is located off Hwy 175 at 21435 Dry Creek Cutoff.
LOCUS is supported in part by an award to Middletown Art Center from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support was given by Greg Clouse – Art by Design, the County of Lake, Hardester’s Market LOCUS workshop participants and volunteers. To find out more about how the National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
Stay up to date on all classes, exhibits and events happening at MAC, and consider a membership to support this valuable Lake County arts and culture resource at www.middletownartcenter.org.
