The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

arts

Yarn corridor invites walkers to explore Lincoln pathway

Lincoln Planning Department senior volunteer Gary Davis and summer intern Emily Glass walk along the yarn corridor.  

The new Lincoln Yarn Corridor installed by Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary aims to offer an unexpected place for contemplation or nature play on the walk from Lincoln Station to the farm.

Designed in support of the town’s effort to highlight the destinations that are accessible on foot from Lincoln Station, the colorful installation ties together the themes of the nature of the surrounding area with the sheep and wool of Drumlin Farm and serves as a point of interest on the walk from Lincoln Station to the farm.

The hand-woven yarn corridor winds among and within trees along the south sidewalk of Lincoln Road across from the Police and Fire Department. Starting from the trailhead at the new kiosk next to the commuter parking lot, walkers can follow the new wayfinding signs all the way to Drumlin Farm, with stops along the way at Codman Farm, Codman House and the new art installation. 

As the materials in the exhibit age, volunteers will work with the farm (following its philosophy of “sustainable interpretation”) to refresh the corridor, eventually letting the exhibit degrade naturally until it’s time to replace it with another installation around a different nature/art theme.

New outdoor artwork at deCordova

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum has unveiled several new outdoor works ranging from small-scale bronze pieces in Alice’s Garden to large-scale commissions on the park’s main lawns to two monumental pieces that will be installed by the community in July and August in collaboration with a visiting artist. All sculptures are on loan and temporary, allowing deCordova to offer a constantly evolving landscape of art and nature for visitors.

Four of the sculptures were installed in the spring and two will be installed in July and August. On view now:

David Nash, “Spiral” (2014)

Nash consciously invokes earth, water, fire, and wind when transforming his earlier wooden sculpture, as he floats them down a river, chars their surface, or leaves them in the elements for decades. His incorporation of bronze casting as part of this practice continues themes of change, decay, and alteration, especially as he melts and solders metal. As some of Nash’s early wooden works begin to decay naturally, bronze versions offer a method of preserving their forms for posterity, while not interfering in the original wooden objects’ physical conditions

Michelle Grabner, “Untitled” (2018)

“Untitled” is part of a series of cast bronze sculptures of worn, knitted, and crocheted blankets. It transposes fiber to bronze, plush to hard, droopy to erect, warm to cold, and functional item to display object. The humility of Untitled’s formlessness lends the work a sense of irony. By appropriating bronze for a subject as sentimental and quotidian as a used blanket, Grabner throws open the tradition of cast-bronze sculpture, raising questions about why we immortalize certain subjects and how we determine which artifacts are disposable. At deCordova, “Untitled” is featured among trees, shrubs, rocks, and illusionistic sculptures in Alice’s Garden that similarly evoke familiar forms and textures from everyday life.

PLATFORM 24: Wardell Milan, “Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Meadow” (2013/2019) and B. Wurtz, “Kitchen Trees” (2018)
See “News acorns” in the Lincoln Squirrel (June 19, 2019). Also see the September 26 event with Milan below.

Coming up

Marren Hassinger, “Monument 3 (Standing Rectangle)” and “Monument 6 (Square)” (2018) — community installation on July 24–26 on the Entrance Lawn
Marren Hassinger’s “Monuments” envision a community coming together to create art with materials that surround us. Continuing her lifelong inquiry into the relationship of sculpture and nature, their installation requires volunteers to clean, braid, and insert branches within the wire structure of her large forms. The work will be completed in the park over the course of three days by visitors who sign up to volunteer in shifts (click here for details and registration). The artist will be on site to assist in the installation on July 26.   

PLATFORM 25: Leeza Meksin, “Turret Tops” (2019) — coming August 19 to the South Lawn

For “Turrets Tops,” an original outdoor commission, Leeza Meksin will create two life-sized replicas of deCordova’s iconic museum building turrets in the park. Draping these towering conical forms with vibrantly colored neoprene, Meksin combines textile patterns and ornamental architectural details to articulate connections between the fashions we use to cover our bodies and the dwellings we inhabit. The installation encourages visitors to recognize assumptions about clothing and gender, architecture and ornament that filter into our daily lives.

Also see the August 24 workshop with Meksin below.

Related programs

Neoprene workshop with artist Leeza Meksin
Saturday, Aug. 24, 2–5 p.m.
Join PLATFORM artist Leeza Meksin for an all-ages outdoor workshop exploring neoprene, the popular fabric used for scuba gear, shape wear, mouse pads, and much more. Practice new ways of testing your creativity with different fabrics and learn more about Meksin’s new “Turret Tops” installation. Free with admission or membership; register online here.

Picnic and conversation with Wardell Milan
Thursday, Sept. 26, 12–1 p.m.
Join artist Wardell Milan for a picnic and conversation in the park, where we will channel the pastoral energy from his billboard commission “Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Hill.” Learn about Milan’s process and inspirational sources, from the modernist photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Nature.” Please bring your own lunch. Free with admission or membership; register online here.

“New Horizon” at deCordova features art, music, food, and conversation

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum will host “Doug Aitken: New Horizon,” a nomadic day-long artwork installation, on Saturday, July 20.

“New Horizon” is a series of live events at Trustees properties across the state. From 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. at the deCordova, there will be art-making activities for all ages, a sculpture quest, and food and drink. From 5–9 p.m. (separate admission), guest speakers will address selected themes about the future of urbanization, transportation, the environment, art, and digital technology. As evening approaches, ticket holders will gather around the hot air balloon to watch as the reflective orb transforms into a generative light sculpture that responds to live musical performances.

The deCordova event will include offerings from a variety of food trucks and Notch Brewing Traveling Biergarten, and music by Julie Byrne, Juilanna Barwick, and Mary Lattimore. The evening conversation will focus on “The Future of Information” with Gideon Lichfield, editor-in-chief of MIT Technology Review, and Jeneé Osterheldt, Boston Globe culture writer. Confronted with fake news and information bubbles, how do traditional media companies become platforms for communities to address the challenges society faces in a more equitable and inclusive manner?

To visit the deCordova on July 20, tickets to Family Day or the evening happening will be required. Parking for both events will be off-site  at 1601 Trapelo Rd. in Waltham with shuttles running all day. Click here for tickets and shuttle information.

Council on Aging activities in July

Sip and paint a masterpiece by the numbers
July 3 at 10 a.m.
Come “sip and paint” with some nonalcoholic wine while you “paint by the numbers.” The first of four sessions will be on Wednesday, July 3 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall. The COA will provide the paint-by-number kits. The class is almost full, but call the COA at 781-259-8811 to sign up or be put on the waiting list.

[Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in July

Outdoor music all over Lincoln this summer

Several organizations in Lincoln are offering music outdoors this summer.

Parks and Recreation

The Park and Rec summer concert series kicks off with Dadda on Wednesday, June 26. Each concert features a cookout to benefit Cops For Kids with Cancer. Concerts begin at 6 p.m. at the Codman Pool. Pool use for nonmembers during the show is $5 per person. Concerts will be cancelled or rescheduled for rain; check www.LincolnRec.com for updates.

Drumlin Farm

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary’s Friday evening music series invites people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate local music, local food, and community-based environmental action starting on Friday, June 28. The eclectic mix of folk, bluegrass, Americana, and rock throughout the summer is sure to have something for everyone.

In addition to live music, the concert series will feature various lawn games and climate-related activities for kids and adults to learn how they can make a difference in their own communities. Concert goers are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and a picnic dinner to relax on the lawn and enjoy the music. Ice cream and nonalcoholic beverages will be available for sale.

All shows are from 6–9 p.m. (the lawn opens at 5:30). Tickets are $15 for adults age 13 and older and free for children 12 and under (maximum $45 per family). Click here to purchase tickets.

deCordova  Sculpture Park and Museum

Music in the Courtyard features music in the sculpture park’s Café Courtyard on Thursdays starting July 11 from 6:30–8 p.m. (doors at 6:00). Sip some wine, savor a brew, enjoy a snack, and enjoy performances by local musicians Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers. In case of rain, performances will take place inside the café. Outdoor seating is limited to 50, so advance purchase is recommended.

News acorns

Great Walden BioBlitz at Minute Man NHP

Join the National Park Service, Walden Woods Project, and naturalist Peter Alden in a mega-bio-blitz on Saturday, July 6 from 2–4 p.m. at the Hartwell Tavern lot area, 106 North Great Rd., Lincoln. Observe and identify plants, birds, insects, amphibians, and other living organisms, and learn to use the iNaturalist app and contribute to our goal of recording 2,000 species in a day. Naturalist-led tours in the park depart at 2 p.m. from the Hartwell lot. For more information, visit www.waldenbioblitz.org.

Watch the GearTicks robot in action

The Lincoln GearTicks “Rover Ruckus” machine.

There’s now video available of the Lincoln GearTicks robot that recently competed at the FIRST World Championship in Detroit. Students from teams all over the world had to design robots that could deliver “minerals” (gold cubes and whiffle balls) from a “crater” into the “lander” (an elevated box with separate containers). Click here to watch on YouTube (the GearTicks segment begins at 1:23:00 and the GearTicks “Rover Ruckus” robot is labeled 6055), or click here to download a 30-second video. The original story has been updated to include these link.

Summer hours at the library

The Lincoln Public Library will be open on Saturdays during July from 10 a.m.—1 p.m. (weekday hours remain the same), and the library will be closed on Saturdays during August. Regular Saturday hours (10 a.m.—5 p.m.) will begin on September 7.

Mass Audubon photo contest under way

Picture This: Your Great Outdoors, the Lincoln-based Mass Audubon’s annual statewide photo contest, invites shutterbugs of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience to share the natural beauty of the Bay State through their photography. The competition, which continues through September 30, has two age divisions (18 and older, and under 18) and six subject areas: people in nature, birds, mammals, other animals, landscapes, and plants and fungi.

Contestants may submit up to 10 images apiece. Photographs must have been taken any time prior to or during the 2019 contest period, but must have been shot in Massachusetts or at Mass Audubon’s Wildwood Camp in Rindge, N.H. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded a $250 gift card and will be featured in Mass Audubon’s member newsletter, Explore. Eleven winners will receive $100 gift cards, and at least six honorable mentions will receive $50 gift cards. Additional honorable mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the judges. To enter and to review contest information, including rules and how to submit photos online, visit massaudubon.org/picturethis.

News acorns

Hospice volunteers come to Drumlin Farm

Care Dimensions volunteers at Drumlin Farm (click photo to enlarge).

More than a dozen Care Dimensions employees recently volunteered at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm in Lincoln to plant vegetables, herbs, and flowers that will the farm will go to CSAs, farmers’ markets, and cafeterias. The farm day was part of the company’s employee volunteer program in which selected employees volunteer with a community organization located within the company’s service area. Last year, the Care Dimensions company opened an 18-bed hospice house in Lincoln, and it also has offices in Waltham and Danvers.

Food donations needed in summertime

Summer is a particular time of need for donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. During the school year, students can get free or reduced-price lunch at school, but now that the academic year is over, more food is needed to compensate for the loss of these lunches. Please donate canned goods, cereals, spaghetti sauce, diapers, snack foods, etc.  The pantry is always looking for healthy treats, gluten-free, and reduced-salt items as well. Bring items to St. Joseph Church (side door, basket on the floor) or the Parish Center at St. Julia Church (374 Boston Post Rd., Weston).

Get free books at the library

Summer is actually spring-cleaning time at the Lincoln Public Library, where summer interns help process discarded books for the public to pick up for free. The library scans selected books to see if its used book re-seller will take them, then offer put them on the discarded books cart in the library’s lower stack level downstairs. Some of the books are in good condition; others have been well loved and will be replaced by newer copies. Note: The books aren’t meant to take the place of our Friends Book Sale Cart — those books are all in good condition, and sales support the library programs.

Residents can now apply for building permits online

The Lincoln Planning Department is updating its services to include online applications for building permits. Applicants may click here, create an account, and apply for a permit. Only building permit applications are available online, but electrical, plumbing and gas will be added in the future. Anyone with questions regarding the system may call Lincoln IT Director Michael Dolan at 781-259-2702.  

Two new outdoor installations at deCordova

“Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Meadow” by Wardell Milan.

Two new sculptures were recently unveiled at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and will be on view until the end of December. In “PLATFORM 24: Wardell Milan, Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Meadow,” New York artist Wardell Milan adapts one of his lush, intricate photo-dioramas to a monumental scale. Working with photography, sculpture, drawing, and collage, he stages intricate maquettes of found imagery to create compositions of pastoral landscapes populated by bodies of diverse genders and racial identity. The PLATFORM series at the deCordova includes one-person commissioned projects by early- and mid-career artists that engage with deCordova’s unique landscape.

“Kitchen Trees” by B. Wurtz.

“Kitchen Trees” is the first large-scale, public work by B. Wurtz. Its trunk is composed of blue colanders stacked in a slender column with thin metallic branches leading to overturned pots and pans, out of which plastic fruits and vegetables appear to fall. The sculpture’s form is partially inspired by the bulbous bronze fountain in New York’s City Hall Park where “Kitchen Trees” was first displayed alongside four other sculptures from the same series. At deCordova, the whimsical piece evokes a tropical palm tree, in striking contrast to the towering pines and elegant beeches that thrive in New England.

News acorns

Israeli-Palestinian film series this summer

The GRALTA Foundation offers its third annual Israel/Palestine summer film series on Thursdays evenings and Sunday afternoons starting on Thursday, June 20. All films will be shown in the downstairs screening room in Bemis Hall. There is no charge, and light refreshments will be served. There will be an opportunity for discussion following each film. The first film will be “A Borrowed Identity,” a 2014 film by Jewish-Israeli director Eran Riklis written by Israeli-Palestinian humorist Sayed Kashua that was nominated for four Israeli Oscar awards. This coming-of-age story explores the realities faced by a gifted Palestinian teen who has been given the opportunity to study in a prestigious, almost entirely Jewish boarding school. Screenings are June 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 23 at 2 p.m.

Other films in the series:

  • “Wajib” on Thursday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m.
  • “The Settlers” on Sunday, July 7 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m.
  • “Naila and the Uprising” on Thursday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 28 at 2 p.m.

A “Junebug” evening at Farrington Nature Linc

Farrington Nature Linc invites residents to Junebug, a night of adults-only outdoor festivities in celebration of the solstice and their newly renovated barn (ready to host even more of their youth programs) on Saturday, June 22 from 6:30–9:30 p.m. There will be food, drinks, and activities including flower crowns to a luminaria labyrinth to a photo booth with baby goats and bunnies. Buy tickets online for $75 each (or $50 if purchased before 8 a.m. on Monday, June 17) and $40 for those under age 40.

Farmer’s market opens this weekend

The Lincoln farmer’s market opens on Saturday, June 22 at Codman Community Farm from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and continues every Saturday until October. The event features food, crafts ad other products sold by registered vendors as well as the farm’s store, as well as music from local musicians. To register for vendor space or as a performing musicians, email Moira of Lindentree Farm at lindentreecsa@gmail.com.

Talk on investing by Lincoln’s Finn

“Smart Women Love Money” with Lincoln author Alice Finn takes place on Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. Finn is a wealth management expert who was named “The Giant” by Barron’s in its inaugural list of the Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors. Her book Smart Women Love Money: 5 Simple Life-Changing Rules of Investing was featured by Oprah.com and included along with the best sellers such as Lean In as #5 of the “23 Incredible Books Every Woman Should Read As an Adult to See The World in a Different Way.” Free and open to all.

News acorns

Planning Dept. seeks summer intern

Lincoln’s Planning and Land Use Department has been awarded a Grant to hire a Lincoln high school or college student as a summer intern. This is a part time paid position with a summer stipend of $1,344. This position will assist with many interesting projects. Desirable skills include: computer, website design, photography, and you should be personably, friendly and outgoing. Please forward your resume by Friday, June 14 to burneyj@lincolntown.org. Interviews will be conducted the week of June 24 with a start date in early July.

DeCordova events this month

Artist and sound designer José Rivera

Aural Cartography: A Conversation with José Rivera
Thursday, June 13, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Join us for a talk by artist and sound designer José Rivera as he discusses his practice in relation to environmentalism, art in the landscape, and acoustic ecology. Trained as an architect, José explores experimental techniques of integrating sound and space to create installations, performances, maps, and compositions. Free; registration requested (click here).

Mobile Subjects: Mapping Sound in the Sculpture Park
Saturday, June 15 — 9:30 a.m.–noon (rain or shine)
Join us for a soundwalk and a map workshop led by artist and sound designer José Rivera. As an invitation to deepen our connection to the environment through sound, the program will include a range of activities integrating sensory perception, physical action, and the art of spatial thinking. $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers; click here for tickets.

Trans/lucent/see: A Solstice Performance in the Park by Excavate
Friday, June 21 — 6:30–8:30 pm
Join us for this site-specific performance jointly inspired by Saul Melman’s ghostly cast doors in the Sculpture Park and the glass doorknobs made by the de Cordova family at the turn of the twentieth century. Excavate‘s unique choreography digs into the historical routes and roots of these translucent objects to create an embodied expression of the stories that have been quieted or forgotten along the way. Free; registration requested (click here).

5K Trail Run
Saturday, June 22 — 9:30 a.m.
Join us at our 4th Annual Art and Nature 5K Trail Race! The course begins in deCordova’s Sculpture Park and continues through Lincoln’s conservation trails alongside Flint’s Pond for a fun, challenging run. Please note that this is a trail run, with lots of rocks, roots, dips, turns, and some uphill terrain. You are welcome to run or walk the race. All participants get a deCordova 5K T-shirt. $20 for members and Lincoln residents, $30 for nonmembers, $15 for children under 18, free 50-yard dash for 9 and under. Click here to register.

Nature, Sculpture, and Movement Meditation with Jamie Hunt
Sunday, June 23 — 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
To attune to the summer landscape, Jamie will weave together nature-based meditation practices, movement meditation, and observation of art in the Sculpture Park. We will explore several meditations to open our sense of awareness and deepen our appreciation—and experience—of deCordova’s sculptures. For ages 12+. $24 for members, $30 for nonmembers. Click here for tickets.

News acorns

Lincoln Kids’ Triathlon is June 15

Kids ages 5–14 are invited to join us for the 15th annual Lincoln Kids Triathlon that starts on Saturday, June 15 at 8:30 a.m. at Codman Pool. Race distances are as follows:

  • Ages 5-6: 25m swim (1 length), ¼-mile run (no bike) – each swimmer escorted by a lifeguard
  • Ages 7-8: 25m swim (1 length), 1-mile bike, ½-mile run – each swimmer escorted by a lifeguard
  • Ages 9-10: 50m swim (2 lengths), 2-mile bike, ½-mile run
  • Ages 11-12: 75m swim (3 lengths), 2-mile bike, ¾-mile run
  • Ages 13-14: 150m swim (6 lengths), 4-mile bike, 1-mile run

Register through Lincoln Parks & Rec website by clicking “Register for Activities” and then selecting the triathlon and the appropriate age group. The $30 fee includes a T-shirt and a finisher’s medal. Race day registration is $40 so register early. Organizers also need volunteers to help out on the morning of the race; please email Ginger Reiner at ginger.reiner@gmail.com.

Outdoor yoga sessions starting up

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum offers four Sundays of family yoga in the park on June 9, July 14, August 11, and September 8 with kids’ classes at 10:30 a.m. and adults’ classes at 11:30 a.m. Teachers from On the Mat Studio lead vinyasa yoga surrounded by sculpture and nature. Bring a mat and water bottle; click here to sign up.

Practice gentle hatha yoga with Melinda Bruno-Smith, certified hatha yoga instructor, in the Station Park Garden (160 Lincoln Rd. at the intersection with Ridge Road) on Saturdays, June 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 9–10 a.m. Sessions are free; bring a yoga mat, towel, or blanket to practice on and wear loose-fitting clothing. The session will be cancelled in case of rain. No experience necessary. For more information, contact Bruno-Smith at melindabruno@hotmail.com.

Help wanted at Water Dept.

The Lincoln Water Department is seeking two high school or college students who want some very flexible part time hours between July 1 and August 16. Pay is $12/hour. Positions are maintenance worker (lawn mowing and weed-hacking) and office assistant (filing and data entry). If interested, please email jobs@lincolntown.org.

Get free help with e-books

The Lincoln Public Library offers free 30-minute one-on-one help sessions to learn how to borrow and read e-books to read on your phone, tablet, Kindle or tablet on Thursdays from 3–5 p.m. in the Reference Room. Drop in or make an appointment by emailing Kate at ktranquada@minlib.net.