Date Of Visit: October 18, 2025
Location: Park Hill Orchard, 50 Payson Ave, Easthampton, MA (2 hours west of Boston, MA, 45 minutes north of Hartford, CT)
Cost: Free
Universally Accessible: Yes. The staff at Park Hill Orchard offer a Accessible Art Cart for those who need assistance.
Dog Friendly: Yes
Summary: Art In The Orchard featured dozens of works of art from local artists.
Welcome to the second part of my Art In The Orchard post! Even though I am posting quite a few sculptures and other works of art, there are still many more to share with you all. This is why I debated posting them at all. It is fairly big undertaking and I didn’t want to bore anyone with the volume of art. But, these sculptures and other works of art are so impressive, I doubt they will bore any of you!
Well, it’s another weekend and that can only mean one thing in New England: more snow! So, to brighten my and everyone else’s mood in New England and anyone else experiencing inclement weather, what better way to get our minds off this wintry weather than to look at some photos from a warmer and prettier time!
“Spiders” by Matt Evald Johnson is the first installation in the second post from the Art In The Orchard event. I know. I get it. I’m not crazy about spiders either. But, look at that face! On his Instagram profile, Matt describes himself as a “spider protector.” So, it makes sense that he would make such cute creatures for the event.
“Infinite Delicacy” by Lee Williams of Shaftsbury, VT, is a colorful work of art that shows the deconstruction and construction of nature and other things in our lives.
Lee, whose installation is made of paint and wood, makes art by disrupting things. Deconstruction becomes construction. Action interrupts contemplation as a means of accepting a path among many alternatives. Lee thinks there is a constant fluidity and changeability and elements influence one another as they entangle and smear together. The color pink saturates the sculpture which is rare in nature. It moves us toward the sublime. Poised between laughter and despair, they call to mind the natural and unnatural in their materiality.
The Fiberistas, a group of nine women artists in western MA who love to work with fiber, worked together to make a group of art installations called “The Arches Of Hampshire County.” Each work of art in this installation had 7 works of art made by different artists. All of the works of art were made with nylon twine, thread, fabric, yarn, wire and wool felt.
The first work of art was “Raphaella”(Queen of Healing) by Martha May of Holyoke, MA. It appears to be a snake with perhaps some eggs ready to hatch on the ground next to her.
RAZZAMATAZZ” by Barbara Kline of Leverett, MA, features carnival performers. Ringling Bros, no offense, has nothing on these performers!
The next work of art for this installation was “Flutter” by Martha Robinson
Nancy Young of South Hadley added to the art installation with “The Monkey Brother’s Circus” (Not All Elephants Are Gray!).
“Irish Lace Crochet” was created by Eileen Travis.
Sally Dillon and Flo Rosenstock of Amherst, MA, created “Caterpillars & Fungus Among Us?”
The final piece of this extensive art installation is “I Dream Of The Sea” by Margaret Stancer of Pelham, MA.
I told you (in the earlier post) there were a lot of works of art!
One of the things I noticed is people expressing a desire or need for people to come together and connect through their work. This is a common theme during these times. Eileen Jager‘s work of art called “We Are All One Planet” was an example of this.
Eileen, from Easthampton, MA, presented Planet Earth as the egg in a nest. The work of art, made of glass mosaic, Pal Tiya, willow, moss, pine cones and needles, represented the elements of Earth; air, fire, water and earth. Like our Earth it is resilient yet fragile. The work of art shows the forces of nature are strong and how we all inhabit this planet. The proverbial flap of a butterfly here can become a tsunami there. It’s time we understand we are all connected, we are all one planet and we all share our living, our dying and out birth.
Carved from a single block of Bethel white granite, the “Swan Side Profile” by Ryan Ackerman of Quincy, MA, merges Art Nouveau elegance with enduring strength. Shaped using a liquid oxygen/biodiesel quarry torch (the same fuel mix used in NASA shuttles) alongside diamond abrasives and air chisel, the sculpture reveals fluid grace within dense, glacial stone.
“Salutation” by Scott Keeley of Charleston, RI is an abstract figurative form in a pose that represents an international symbol of welcome and peace. The figure, made of cast iron, stands tall, arms wide open, her face gently tilted upward yet gazing at the viewer. The geometric form of the face is a reference to Constantin Brancusi. Like the way the beak in “Bird In Space” is a truncation of the soft form that makes up the body of the bird, the face in “Salutation” is a revolved cut in the soft form that makes up the torso of the figure. The focal point of the sculpture, the figure’s face, is expressed by what is taken away.
This large-scale abstract sculpture named “Medusa” by Chris Plaisted is a bold and striking work of art that captures the essence of the mythological figure while pushing the boundaries of traditional representation.
Rather than depicting Medusa in a realistic or literal way, the sculpture, which is made of steel and enamel paint, takes on an abstract form that evokes the snake haired, fearsome nature of the mythological figure. While the eyes, nose and mouth facial structures remain, components and shapes are added to make the face less obvious.
Made of stainless steel and reclaimed wood, “Forward” by Lindsey Molyneux is a tribute to horses. Throughout history, horses have played a pivotal role in altering the course of conflicts, expanding human boundaries through exploration and facilitating cultural exchanges. This transformative impact mirrors the power of connection and communication, which are more crucial now than ever.
As symbols of movement and progress, horses act as a metaphor for the human journey how, despite our differences, we can forge paths toward greater unity and movement forwards.
“Bench People” by Ed Mcaloon is designed to be both entertaining and functional. The configurations of the seat, made of welded recycled steel with oil based paint finish, are intended to invite the seated folks to face each other and interact.
The selection of female and male themes is meant to be inclusive. When positioned facing each other, these pieces create a fanciful environment.
Keeping with the chair theme, Mark Fenwick of Guilford, VT, created :Andromeda’s Chair” made of hemlock. There also seems to be a little visitor sitting in the chair. The wooden chair in the similitude of a sea wave washed rock. Andromeda was an Ethiopian woman threatened by a monster. Perseus came along and turned the beast into a rock by showing it the head of Medusa.
“Olie” by Dan Rocha is a contemporary interpretation of a carin. Carins, a stack of stones, are usually used as markers on hiking trails. While most carins are made of rocks and stones, this particular carin was made of PVC, aluminum sheet and paint. In Celtic prehistory carins also have a spiritual significance as they were used as memorials and as burial chambers.
This concludes the second part of the Art In The Orchard exhibit. But, don’t fret. There are many more to show in my following posts!
New England Nomad 
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