Author: Audrey Desnain
When I first discovered the sculptures at Hartwood Acres, I didn’t know anything about abstract expressionist sculptures from the 70s. It was a cold day in January; the park was empty, the ground was soggy and yet we trekked on, getting up close and personal with every one of the 14 sculptures at the park. Hartwood Acres is about 30 minutes outside of the city and is surrounded by luscious green hills and forest. In the middle of it all, there were these monumental sculptures that were designed with the intent of being part of cityscapes. Instead, here they were as the backdrop to this Tudor, old-world European style Mansion from 1929. I kept thinking to myself, how did they end up here?
Since most of us working on the project didn’t know the first thing about these sculptures and the artists, we started fantasizing and coming up with stories. We thought that Von Schlegells North Light looked like a paper plane, a diamond, or even a pair of lips. Jack Youngerman’s Totem; Lamina; Limbus looked like playing cards, and Joseph Goto’s Tower Iron conjured up images of a post-apocalyptic jungle gym. Our favorite part though was going up to the sculptures-- and sometimes even inside the sculptures-- to see how different the acoustics were. Could they echo? That’s me in the hood, testing it out with fellow student researcher Layne Shaffer.
Being able to build upon these initial impressions has been a very rewarding process. Discovering certain facts about these artists through our research process has completely altered my interpretation and understanding of these sculptures. I now have a level of appreciation for them which I’m excited to impart to others.
I’ve enjoyed every step of the process, from hunting down sources to sifting through stacks of books. It has taught me practical research skills through using databases such as HathiTrust, Archive.org, and Newspapers.com. I am grateful to Alex Taylor and Rachel Klipa, Education and Outreach Program Manager at the Office for Public Art, for their guidance and support. I am very motivated to continue working on the project to take our research and turn it into cohesive resources that can help visitors further engage with the collection.
Audrey Desnain, Museum Studies Intern at the Office for Public Art – Spring 2023