This fall, a series of vertical banners suspended in space are being installed in the woods of the Dublin School Nordic Center.
Gradient blue, with a hand-painted textile pattern, these indigo-dyed tapestries and a solitary ceramic vessel are part of an installation piece entitled “Raincatchers” by Dublin artist Benjamin Asbury.
Asbury will host a short talk and lead a tour of the site at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, to celebrate the installation.
Commissioned for display at the Dublin School’s new Putnam Sculpture Park beside the “Placid” trail, the works were curated by faculty member Earl Schofield. Visitors can park at the Nordic Center Trail Head at 3:20 to view the work and attend the talk.
When asked to describe his work, Asbury spoke about the significance of the materials he has chosen for the series.
“A ceramic stoneware bowl represents the earth. The bowl created is a vessel intended to capture rain. The intentionality of capturing rain requires patience, i.e., comfortability with waiting. The bowl is designed only to perform this singular task,” Asbury said.
“The tapestries draw visual reference from the great bodies of water, and the singularity of a raindrop amongst many,” he said. “The vitality of water is integral to all life as we know it and is an endangered resource, provides a visual landscape for the ceramic bowl to exist in, and the inspiration of both pieces and the importance of the connectivity between earth and sky.”
Asbury, who grew up in Greenfield and Dublin, attended the Well School and ConVal HIgh School. He now attends the Kansas City Art Institute, where he is a fibers and textile design major.
As a multi-media artist, Asbury works with ceramics, wool, textiles, foraged plants, and recycled materials. He has exhibited his work at the Kansas City Art Institute, in Dartmouth’s Climate Change Biennial, MaXT Outdoor Sculpture Show, and currently at Spring Hill Studio in Sharon.
