Land preservation has its own contradiction: to keep a treasured piece of property safe in a natural state so that the public can enjoy it forever, you have to keep the public out—lest its ardent enjoyment trample the property.
Over its forty years of existence, the Legacy Land Conservancy (formerly the Washtenaw Land Trust) has protected more than 4,750 acres from development—through both outright purchases and conservation easements. Five of these ninety-one green spaces are public preserves, open for hiking and exploration, but the rest remain private property, accessible only through occasional conservancy bus tours and hikes.
Until now. Earlier this year, Cathy Barry, who mounts exhibits for the Chelsea Center for the Arts, brainstormed up an idea with LLC director Susan Lackey: why not let area artists into selected conservancy-protected properties to portray what they see? The results are on display at the art center’s “Stand in the Place Where You Live” exhibit, opening November 11 and running through January 7. It’s the next best thing to being there.
Sixteen artists working in a variety of media—painting, photography, sculpture, and ceramics—went to as many protected parcels, including farms, fields, and forests. “While working on site, I feel spirit and energy from the land and nature’s beauty,” writes painter Janet Kohler. “Birds and insects flutter around me as I work, while meadow animals scurry within their haven of protection.” Nancy McKay took a photo of a mayflower at the Hathaway Woods residency, printed it onto silk, and painted it with transparent dyes. “My subject is the sense of ‘presence’—in place, in time, and in spirit,” she explains.
Each artist was invited to submit two or more works, with the best chosen to go on display. The Charles Reinhart Company Realtors pitched in with $100 stipends to help the artists pay for gas and other expenses; those whose works are sold will get 70 percent of the sale price, with the rest being split between Legacy and the center. But Lackey emphasizes this is not intended as a fund-raiser but as a showcase: “It’s a way of showing people the land” the conservancy has preserved.
The opening reception is slated for the evening of December 2 (see Gallery listings). The exhibit is open from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturdays.
