Art on the Trails Announces Winners in Art and Poetry

Art on the Trails, an annual outdoor art and poetry program in its 7th year, is pleased to announce the juror’s choices for art and poetry.

Art Installation Winner
Art Juror Sarah Alexander chose Below and Above: A Floating Wetland Supports Life by the Rhode Island Collective as the winning installation as it incorporates so much of what the preserve represents. Sarah said of this work, “The amount of careful research and thoughtful response to the space, along with the combined efforts of its dedicated creators, blew me away.”  

Below and Above, A Floating Wetland Supports Life was conceptualized and created by a collaboration of artists, designers, and a botanist creating natural floating wetlands. Hope Leeson, a botanist, sources native plants and experiments with natural cordage. Holly Ewald, visual and community artist, and founder of Urban Pond Procession Arts, promotes environmental stewardship through public art-making, coordinates the team, and documents the floating wetland. Alexandra Ionescu, ecological artist, and biomimicry practitioner, researches floating wetland ecology and construction, inspiring design. Matthew P. Muller and August Lehrecke, co-founders of Pneuhaus, an inflatable architecture studio, lead project construction. Maxwell Fertik, an interdisciplinary artist, and designer, contributes to construction with material knowledge of Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica). 

Art Installation Honorable Mentions
Sarah also acknowledges others who were strong contenders in her jurying process, deserving an honorable mention. Until by Ted Castro is so beautifully moving and relatable. It broke my heart and reminds us all that life is always in flux and to be fully present in the moment. Pet Rock Pile by Meagan Hepp addresses how society clings to outdated ideas and what that does to those who don’t fit in the categories that are the presumed norm. Using moss to grow onto them was a poetic and subtle touch. Ripple Effect by Neary Elementary School is the best yet of the art produced by these students for Art on the Trails. Something so simple as an act of kindness displayed in the perfect spot, with the light playing off it above the water, is delightful. 

Poetry Award
Art on the Trails received over 100 poetry submissions this year, all in direct response to the work in the show. Of these submissions, 33 poems were selected for inclusion in an art and poetry chapbook by book editor Maura Snell. Maura commented on the poetry: “I am continually surprised and delighted by the quality of the work that is submitted for consideration in the chapbook – so much so that this year I have selected an additional 9 poems that will be published on the website in the week leading up to the closing event on September 17th. All the poems submitted were beautifully crafted works that illustrate just how much Art on the Trails has come to mean to our community.”

Of these poems, this year’s poetry juror, Joanne DeSimone Reynolds, chose Inclusion by Adele Evershed as the winning poem for its “undulating, center-justified lines evoking the stone sculpture of two entwined people, titled, Until.”  Adele Evershed was born in Wales and lived in Hong Kong and Singapore before settling in Connecticut. Her prose and poetry have been published in over a hundred journals and anthologies, such as Every Day Fiction, Reflex Fiction, Grey Sparrow Journal, and Anti Heroin Chic. Adele has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net for poetry. Finishing Line Press will publish Adele’s first poetry chapbook, Turbulence in Small Places. Bottlecap Press will publish her second poetry collection, The Brink of Silence. Her novella in flash, Wannabe, was also published this year by Alien Buddha Press. 

Poetry Honorable Mentions
Additionally, juror Joanne DeSimone Reynolds gave honorable mentions for Compassion by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, Time Capsule by Phil Avilov, and Night Owl by Michele Mendelson.First prize winners receive a monetary prize, which is possible through the support of our partner, Southborough Community Fund, as well as additional sponsorship from Middlesex Saving Bank, Ginny Martins Real Estate, and Fay School.  

Winners and honorable mentions also receive acknowledgment in the Art on the Trails Chapbook which will be available at the Closing event and poetry reading on Sunday, September 17th from 3-5 pm.