I-Park artists-in-residence program will open its scenic campus in East Haddam to lovers of nature, art and music in observance of Connecticut Trails Day on Saturday, June 1. The grounds will be open from 2 to 6 pm, joining 250 other events in this annual statewide celebration. Rain date will be Sunday, June 2.
Normally closed to the public to ensure the privacy of its resident artists, I-Park’s campus and its 26 trails will be open for strolling, hiking and exploring. Visitors are offered the pleasure of discovering the property’s confluence of woods, fields, waterways and stone walls — as well as the abundance of site-responsive artworks that have been installed on the property since I-Park’s founding in 2001.
Landscape painters from throughout the region will be stationed around the grounds, capturing the beauty of the setting and representing the merger of art and nature that has been a hallmark of I-Park’s residency program.
The Grays, a percussion-based improvisational quartet from Chester that performs original compositions, will be playing from 2 to 4 p.m. Guests are welcome to sit and listen to the music or even bring a picnic lunch.
Since 2002, Mie Preckler has been working on a large-scale, ongoing site intervention, “A Conversation with the Gravel Pit”. Over time she has persuaded the landscape to bend gently to her will, creating Mie’s Trail and exposing the site-specific topography of this previously barren industrial site. Mie returns to I-Park every year to maintain this work and document the subtle changes that have taken place since her last visit. She will lead a guided walk of the trail at 4:30 pm.
This is a free, family-friendly event and reservations are requested. To reserve your space, go to i-park.org.
For additional information, write events@i-park,org or call 860-873-2468.
Note that due to the fragility of the art work and trails, pets are not permitted on the I-Park grounds.