Support the Inaugural Sculpture for Wildwood Cemetery

Rebecca Fricke is organizing this fundraiser to benefit Friends of Wildwood Cemetery.

Tax deductible

Quick Facts -

The inaugural sculpture by artist Matt Mitchell is called “Touch.”
The boulder is a glacial erratic chosen for its rich color when polished and it has many small pockets of amethyst.
It is about 5' tall and 3'-4' wide.
This fall we would like to transport it from NH where Matt is carving and polishing it and it will be set near the front entrance of Wildwood Cemetery.

Support the Inaugural Sculpture for Wildwood Cemetery’s Public Art Program

Artist Matt Mitchell (Instagram @today_again) is currently working on the inaugural public sculpture for Wildwood Cemetery! Thanks to a great outpouring of generosity in our initial fundraising we were able to start this amazing project. But we still need your help to raise enough funds for the installation of this sculpture in our new entrance garden at Wildwood.

We are very excited to welcome this commission as the first public art work in our cemetery. If we can raise the funds for installation, we could bring this sculpture to Wildwood this fall. This will be an important symbol welcoming the public to our grounds for years to come.

When the sculpture is installed, we will hold a public reception at which all the donors will be recognized.

About the Public Art Program at Wildwood

Only a few cemeteries in the US have public art programs. And it makes sense that Wildwood would be a leader in public programming. More than a century ago the founders of our cemetery discussed the importance of public space. In 1887 Fredrick Law Olmsted advised the founders that the cemetery should be a robust public space with native plantings, forested conservation land, and collective monuments. Wildwood has lived up to this commitment to the public in many ways. Now, as we start our public art program, we aim to enhance the cemetery’s role as an innovative and welcoming part of the American commemorative landscape.

Wildwood has always encouraged the public to enjoy walking through our grounds. We have also sought to engage the community in many ways: through regularly holding public events, providing resources for school tours and self-guided tours, collaborating with biologists and landscape architects at UMASS, and working with historians to discover more of the history of Amherst.

Through our public art program, we can provide new amenities for the public and expand our understanding of the diverse contributions of those who came before us.

About the Sculpture

The inaugural sculpture for the Wildwood public art program is called “Touch.” It represents two hands holding each other in the way that people hold hands when walking together or when clasping hands to feel support and connectedness. The hands are carved from a boulder standing five feet tall. The natural contours of the boulder are part of the design of the sculpture. The boulder is a glacial erratic. It was left in the area when the glaciers retreated. It is something that is at once ancient, local, and migratory.

After examining hundreds of glacial erratics Mitchell selected this particular boulder because of its distinctive deep, rich color when polished. It also has many small pockets of amethyst.

In preparation for carving Mitchell created many studies of hands in clay and in stone. Yet the final sculpture is unique. It is a response to the shape and character of the specific boulder.

As a large-scale stone sculpture this artwork will endure for future generations. Is a visual manifestation of the welcoming and thoughtful spirit that we hope to bring to our community. We hope that you can take part in making this project a reality.

About the Artist

Matt Mitchell lived in Amherst with his wife and their child for many years and enjoyed walking in Wildwood Cemetery in all seasons. The sculpture for Wildwood Cemetery continues his exploration of the themes of touch and of direct carving of found stones. Mitchell earned a BFA in sculpture at Pratt Institute. He is the winner of a 2010 Western New England Public Radio Arts and Humanities Award and his work has been shown in museums around the country, including at: The National Portrait Gallery, Coral Springs Museum of Art, Pensacola Museum of Art, Stauth Museum, and Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences.

mattmitchellart.com

About the Fundraiser

The estimated costs of delivery and installation of the sculpture are $4,000. Any funds raised above that will go to the artist to defray the cost of creating the work.