Eco-Arts Sculpture Walk

Taking cues from land art and folk traditions, Middletown artists turn a humble regional park into an immersive art experience at EcoArts Sculpture Walk.  The Lake County creative scene shines at the free public art exhibit which is on view through October 31.

When you enter Trailside Park in Middletown – a rural Northern California community about 30 minutes north of Calistoga – it appears as a nondescript slice of public space where one might walk a dog or take a morning jog.  On closer inspection, another story soon unfolds.  Between a few scattered oak trees, the golden grass flanked trail leads you through a series of sculptures, beautiful and bizarre.

Towering pieces like Sherry Harris’ “On the Rise” and Pericles Pneumatikos’ “The Seedling” call to mind classic forms, while “Pollinator Pole” by Emily Scheibal marries her academic art background with a newfound interest in beekeeping.  Other multipurpose pieces include bat habitat boxes by local elementary school students and a prayer flag-like shade canopy created by LaynaJoy and Middletown Art Center workshop participants.

Conceptual works by Cliff Lloyd and Karen Turcotte sit “in dialog with nature,” and encourage reflections on our role in the greater ecosystem.  Of the 13 total works on view, a shared theme of rebirth and resilience is carried throughout, and reinforces the theme, “A Sense of Place.”

Now in its 14^th season, EcoArts Sculpture Walk* is a pillar in the Lake County art community and was produced with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Visitors should plan to enjoy the 107-acre park in daylight hours and to wear comfortable walking shoes.  Open-minded art lovers of all ages and dogs on leash are welcome.

For additional information on the exhibit, or to enjoy more of Lake County’s local art scene, stop by Middletown Art Center.

*EcoArts features primarily temporary works each year. Due to COVID-19 a portion of the works shown here are on view.