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Saturday, Nov 2, 2024

Larson Comments on Michael Singer's Nod to Design New Library Garden

Author: Carl Larson

"Michael Singer is our only hope."
This is what I absent-mindedly scrawled on a napkin on Saturday morning. I had just seen two of three proposals for a landscape sculpture adjacent to Middlebury College's new library.
Singer did not disappoint and the College will most likely have one of his works on the front campus by the time the library opens.
The Committee on Art in Public Places (CAPP) was established to direct funds generated by the One Percent for Art program. This program sets aside one percent of the cost of all college building for public art acquisition. If completed, Singer's "Garden of the Seasons" will be CAPP's biggest project since "Smog."
Over the past six months, Jackie Ferrara, Michael Singer and Elyn Zimmerman have been working on plans for a sculptural garden in which passersby may sit, read, relax and meditate.
They were given a site (southwest of the new library), a budget (roughly 1 percent of the cost of the library) and various requirements and restrictions.
To inform the college community about these artists, the college Museum of Art organized a small exhibit showcasing the three artists' past work. It wasn't until Saturday, though, that the proposals were presented and the decisions made.
Elyn Zimmerman made the first presentation. Zimmerman, best known for her work in front of National Geographic's headquarters in Washington, D.C., uses large rocks and water in nearly all of her projects.
Her design for the College consisted of a series of concrete, concentric circles 80 feet in diameter placed between Old Chapel and the New Library. Benches, ramps, stairs, bushes, trees and rocks were all part of the plan, but because of budget restrictions, water was absent.
Next was Jackie Ferrara's proposal for a 152-foot walkway lined alternately with vines, grasses and seating leading from the library toward Emma Willard House.
Like Ferrara's work in urban streets and parks, her proposal was simple, durable and well suited for a high traffic area.
Concerns were raised over both artists attention to the site and sensitivity to climate. While Zimmerman's proposal shared design elements with the new library and Ferrara's used some of the same materials, neither was tied well to the site selected. Winter, although acknowledged, did not seem to be thoroughly addressed by either design.
Singer's proposal was a relief. Not only did he beautifully address the site and the climate, he also introduced environmental considerations, sensual dimensions and a varied and exciting group of materials.
His elaborate presentation included works in California, Brattleboro, Grand Rapids, Stuttgart, the Netherlands and Wellesley College. In discussing his installation at Denver International Airport, he stressed his interest in time and memory.
Like many of his works, native plants dominate a landscape of carefully cast and carved concrete and stone elements that appear to be decaying ruins. It looks better than it sounds. In fact, it's beautiful. More moss and weathering do nothing but help his work. His proposal for Middlebury College is no exception.
Sited roughly 200 feet up and to the south of the path from the new library, Singer's plan consists of three basic elements: a wall, a sitting area and a water/ice wall.
A wall with a trough of trickling water runs downhill alongside the path and breaks at the narrow entrance to a semicircle sitting area.
The sitting area is detailed with pavers specially sculpted and designed by Singer. Also in the circular area are a pre-existing tree and a sunken area full of native plantings.
The most exciting part of his proposal is a metal mesh wall with water or ice flowing over it, depending on the season. For the skeptics of this element, Singer showed pictures of a much larger ice wall he built in Worcester, Mass.
As hard as Zimmerman and Ferrara had tried, the decision to choose Singer was easy. His sensitivity to the site, its architecture, the environment and the holistic human experience could not be ignored.
There were concerns that his plan was too ambitious for his budget, but the point was made multiple times that CAPP had selected an artist and not a design. Singer will clearly have to work extensively with Andropogen, a landscape architecture company currently designing the front campus.
This, along with budget and logistical concerns, will most likely require modification of his proposed plan.
The College Museum of Art will be showing the three artists' work through June 2. Plans are currently being made to publicly display the model for Singer's proposal.
The project is slated for completion in time for the opening of the new library.


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