Mansfield Artwalk
2024
Project Overview
The Downtown Partnership of the Town of Mansfield, CT in consultation with RiseUP for Arts, has invited three selected artists fabricate public art installations along the Rte. 89 corridor in Mansfield Center to become the new Mansfield Artwalk. The Artwork will be a beacon of culture, history, and the spirited community of Mansfield. It will extend from the mouth of the Nipmuck Trail, through Southeast Park along Route 89 ending at the Mansfield Public Library.
The selected public art installations echo the heart and spirit of Mansfield, embody a fusion of freshness and community harmony that celebrate the Town of Mansfield and foster a connection with every individual who encounters them.
​Artists & Installation:
June Bisantz - creative way-finding to define the Art Walk's path and celebrate Mansfield's wildlife
Erin Koch Smith - sculpture garden at the Mansfield Public Library highlighting Mansfield's local flora and fauna.
Eric Vincent - mural in Southeast Park saluting Mansfield's creative community
A Town of Mansfield Public Art Project funded by the American Rescue Plan & RiseUP for Arts @ctmurals
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June Bisantz
Defining the Mansfield Artwalk with Creative Wayfinding
My vision for this project expands on recent installations connecting nature and the built environment (Healing Plants, Main Entrance, Windham Hospital, Willimantic, CT | Nature & the City, Downtown Pittsfield, MA)
For the Mansfield Artwalk, I have designed a series of 15 double-sided signs mounted on historic style posts, containing silhouettes of local wildlife and aspirational words. The signs lead visitors from the Nipmuck Trailhead at Southeast Park to the Mansfield Public Library on Warrenville Road. This installation defines the Artwalk, and celebrates Mansfield’s burgeoning growth and beautiful natural setting. Both words and images reference Mansfield’s community vision and the importance of its local wildlife.
Images are silhouettes of local wildlife and historic Native American plants including the Bald Eagle, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Christmas Fern, Northern Cardinal, Halactid Bee, Wild Canada Goose, Queen Anne's Lace, Spikenard, Witch Hazel, Marsh Marigold. The words serve more than one purpose. Some directly reference the Town of Mansfield's Mission: Grow, Lead, Balance, Thrive, Succeed. Others lead visitors from the trail head to its crossing on Warrenville Road: Emerge, Lead, Advance, Forward, Motivate, Persist, Persevere, Accomplish, Connect. Still others - Grow, Imagine - reference the Artwalk's sculpture garden at the Mansfield Public Library.
All signs are the specific shade of blue associated with trail-marking, highlighting their special purpose, highlighting the Nipmuck Trail, and leading us on another trail - the Mansfield Artwalk.
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