It is quite a challenge to create one new rural sculpture trail, let alone two! Lots of factors to consider…
Right now I have these two on the go: one in North America in the state of Montana (USA) and one on the Lincolnshire / Leicestershire county border area in the East Midlands (UK).
The trail in Montana is called “Crown of the Continent Sculpture Trail” and as of now has just one large-scale outdoor sculpture on it, in the small Rockies town of Seeley Lake. I hope this rural trail will eventually span a couple of hundred miles from Missoula up to Glacier Park and back. The first outdoor sculpture was made by me and is called “Log Henge: Spirits of the Forest”. It consists of 10 reclaimed dead-standing Douglas Pine timbers from 10 to 20 feet in height arranged in a loose circle, and was a collaborative work in that I invited a number of other artists to contribute to it. Further details of this and photos can be found at http://www.laurydizengremel.com/Log_Henge_sculpture_installation_Seeley_Lake_Montana.html.
Log Henge: Spirits of the Forest sculpture installation by sculptor Laury Dizengremel
Further outdoor sculptures on the “Crown of the Continent Sculpture Trail” will be made by other sculptors than myself, however I have promised to go back to Montana to assist in the process (from fund-raising to raising the construction permit to overseeing technical logistics).
The East Midlands sculpture trail in the United Kingdom is called Belvoir “3Rs: Reclaimed, Recycled, Raw”, as of this date has not a single sculpture on it yet (it’s still in the early stages of planning and sculpture competition phase), and will be a loop of approximately 2 miles, along a canal, through some fields and a small stream, and back through further fields and a portion of a country road in the county of Lincolnshire (South Kesteven district). Details of it can be found at http://www.laurydizengremel.com/Belvoir/Belvoir_3Rs_Reclaimed_Recycled_Raw_Sculpture_Trail.html.
I am not yet sure whether I will create a sculpture of my own for this trail – but certainly I will mentor the sculptors selected to contribute work to it. I have mainly devised it as an opportunity for student artists and emerging artists to create their first large-scale outdoor work, with sustainable sculpture materials. This will appeal to the fledgling eco-artist / environmental artist! The scope for each temporary sculpture installation to be featured on the trail is immense and it certainly pushes both the “green art” and “sustainable art practice” buttons that I am most focused on these days. From artist – art maker only I’ve really strived to expand my art practice to artistic mentor and art event organiser as well.
The Duchess of Rutland is facilitating the creation of this sculpture trail through me being the artist-in-residence for Belvoir Castle & Estate.
