Four larger-than-life aluminum leaf sculptures are on loan from the American artist Alan Sonfist to the Fairfield University Art Museum for the next year.
The leaves that have appeared on Bellarmine Lawn are on loan to the Fairfield University Art Museum (FUAM) for the next year from the American artist Alan Sonfist (b. 1946), best known as a pioneer of the Land or Earth Art movement.
“We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to borrow these sculptures from the artist for the coming year," said Carey Mack Weber, the Frank and Clara Meditz Executive Director of the museum. "They came to us from the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Massachusetts where they have been installed for the last decade, since their creation, and where they were extremely beloved. Following the success of last year’s Lost Bird Project by Todd McGrain, we are very excited to continue the cross-disciplinary conversations that these works will engender, and look forward to creating some exciting programming around them for Earth Day.”
These four larger-than-life aluminum leaf sculptures comprise the artwork entitled The Endangered Species of New England and were created in 2011. They represent several of New England’s most beloved native trees: the American Beech, the American Chestnut, the Burr Oak, and the Sugar Maple. The sculpted leaves act as reminders to honor and protect the trees, and as a warning that failure to do so could result in their extinction.
FUAM is collaborating with the College of Arts and Sciences' Biology Department, the Environmental Studies program, and the artist, on a series of programs that will highlight the sculptures and address issues of climate change and endangered species.
Learn more about The Endangered Species of New England exhibition and the Fairfield University Art Museum.
