The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center is dedicating public artwork at noon on Saturday, Aug.19, as part of the annual Rutland Town-wide celebration. The permanent installation at Northwood Park is in partnership with the town of Rutland.
Seven teenage sculptors carved the 14th public artwork in the Stone Bench Project from June 26 through July 7. Under the direction of Nora Valdez, the team addressed the contrasts of night and day, life and death, in a functional sculpture to be donated to the Town of Rutland. The group included Anya Brostek, Jackson and Mackenzie Graham, Pema Kerins, Milo Piovano-Marcotte, Emily Sunderland, and Liam Wolff.
The Stone Bench Project is a Carving Studio and Sculpture Center program that began in Ayacucho, Peru during January 2009. Subsequent years have seen development of opportunities for Rutland area teens to connect with their region’s cultural heritage. Teamwork is built as students cooperatively develop a theme, produce a scale model in clay and carve the limestone blocks.
The finished benches are permanently installed in the area for public enjoyment.
Support for the Stone Bench Project is provided by United Way of Rutland County, The Town of Rutland, and individual donations. For more information, call: 802-438-2097 or email: info@carvingstudio.org.