Art on the Trails Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Grant from Southborough Community Fund
Annual juried outdoor sculpture exhibition at Beals Preserve kicks off milestone year with theme “Time in the Landscape”
The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) and Art on the Trails Program Director Catherine Weber are pleased to announce that Art on the Trails has received a grant from the Southborough Community Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation for MetroWest, in support of its 10th Annual juried outdoor sculpture exhibition. The grant will help fund juror and artist stipends, production of the annual art and poetry chapbook, and expenses associated with running the program.
Art on the Trails is an annual juried exhibition of sculptural installations presented at the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve in Southborough, Massachusetts. Each summer, artists install original works along the preserve’s trails, where they remain on public view from June through September. The program, which is free and open to all, also features an accompanying poetry component: community poets visit the preserve, respond to the installed works with original poems, and join artists at a closing reading and reception each fall. Selected art and poetry are published together in a full-color annual chapbook.
10th Anniversary Theme: “Time in the Landscape”
For its milestone 10th edition, Art on the Trails invites artists to consider the land as an active witness to change and memory. Artists are encouraged to respond to questions such as: How does the land remember? What histories are embedded in soil, stone, trees, and water? How do seasons, climate, and natural cycles shape place over time? What traces do people leave behind as they move through the landscape? Works may interpret the theme literally or abstractly and should engage thoughtfully with the surrounding natural environment.
2026 Juror: Lisa Barthelson
The 2026 exhibition will be juried by Lisa Barthelson, a multidisciplinary New England artist working in printmaking, mixed media, sculpture, photography, environmental installation, ceramics, and found-object assemblage. Barthelson’s work has been included in curated museum exhibitions at the Fitchburg Art Museum, Danforth Art Museum, and the Newport Art Museum, where her site-specific sculpture was acquired for the museum’s permanent collection. Her environmental sculpture “water rings” received the Juror’s Gold Award at the Art in the Park Exhibition in Worcester. As a three-time exhibitor in Art on the Trails, Barthelson brings deep expertise in evaluating artwork for outdoor settings and a thoughtful understanding of how art can meaningfully activate public space.
“Reaching ten years of Art on the Trails is a milestone we are truly proud of,” said Catherine Weber, Program Director. “The generous support of the Southborough Community Fund has been instrumental in allowing us to bring professional artists to Beals Preserve, offer stipends, and produce our annual chapbook — all of which strengthen the program’s impact on artists, poets, and the community alike. This year’s theme, ‘Time in the Landscape,’ feels especially fitting as we mark a decade of art taking root in this beautiful place.” “
The Southborough Open Land Foundation is delighted to celebrate this 10th anniversary of Art on the Trails,” said Sally Watters, Trustee of the Southborough Open Land Foundation. “Seeing the preserve come alive each summer with extraordinary sculptures — and knowing that visitors of all ages are walking the trails and engaging with art in nature — is exactly what SOLF hopes to inspire. We are grateful to the Southborough Community Fund for their continued investment in this beloved program.” Support for this program was provided in part by a grant from the Southborough Community Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation for MetroWest.
Key Dates for Art on the Trails 2026:
Installation Day: Saturday, June 13, 2026
Exhibition on View: June 13 – September 13, 2026
Closing Poetry Reading and Art Walk: Sunday, September 13, 2026 (3–5 pm)
The Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve is accessible from Main Street and Red Gate Lane in Southborough, Massachusetts, and is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.artonthetrails.com or contact Catherine Weber at cweber@catherinemweber.com.
About the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) SOLF is a private land trust founded in 1988. The all-volunteer organization, with over 300 local members and a board of nine trustees, preserves and protects open space in Southborough, Massachusetts. SOLF owns and manages the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve and 13 other properties totaling 191 acres of open space, and sponsors a variety of nature-based recreational and educational activities for the community. Visit www.solf.org.
About the Southborough Community Fund The Southborough Community Fund (SCF), a fund of the Community Foundation for MetroWest, was formed to be utilized to support community-driven projects in Southborough, ensure a strong and vibrant community, and be responsive to diverse needs and voices into the future. SCF is a grantmaking source of funding to support our community needs and opportunities, and provide ways for donors to give back or leave a legacy to our community. For more information, visit www.southboroughcommunityfund.org.
###