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

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.

Girl Scouts hit benchmark for community success

Proudly showing off their colorful bench are (left to right) Girl Scouts Lucy Dwyer, Courtney Mitchell, Marielle Soluri, and Rebecca Lupkas.

Lincoln Girl Scout Troop 82742 has installed a pair of six-foot-long benches at the Lincoln Mall shopping area after building them as part of a Silver Award project. 

To earn the award, seventh-grade Girl Scouts Lucy Dwyer, Rebecca Lupkas, Courtney Mitchell, and Marielle Soluri adhered to a specific problem-solving regimen that includes identifying issues they care about, exploring the community to identify needs, finding areas where needs and cares overlap, and engaging stakeholders while developing a long term solution that is also sustainable. 

The benches, made of materials generously donated by Concord Lumber, meet a community need that gives students a place to eat without interfering with other shoppers. Over the course of nine months, the Girl Scouts interviewed students, shopkeepers, landlords, and town officials about problems, researched various solutions, reviewed alternatives with these audiences and responded to feedback

Lucy Dwyer and Courtney Mitchell work on building their Scout troop’s bench.

During the construction process, they learned how to choose materials and waterproofing treatment, transfer design specifications to materials, use a radial arm saw and drills, fasten materials, and apply finishes. The award requires the project to consume more than 50 hours of effort each, which was easily surpassed.

The troop installed the benches at Lincoln Station and are continuing to work with the Rural Land Foundation to add additional bins for trash, recycling, and possibly compost as well as signage for the bins, which was also an identified need.

— Submitted by Carolyn Dwyer and Tara Mitchell, leaders of Troop 82742

Codman Campout: an appreciation

By Ginger Reiner

Saturday night, June 15 — a full moon illuminates the barnyard and surrounding fields. Tents dot the landscape: in the community garden, on the grass in front of Barn B, and one right next to the lamb pen. A campfire is roaring, surrounded by farm friends singing (to the tune of “Country Road,” of course!):

Codman Road, take me home,
To the place, where I belong.
We’ve been thinkin’, that we love Lincoln,
Take me home, Codman Road

Further away, little flashlights flicker in and out as a massive game of flashlight hide-and-seek occupies most of the under-12 set. 

The Codman Campout has always been one of my favorite farm events. A low-key June dinner outside the barn, lots of kids playing lots of different games, a night under the stars. This year was made all the more special as we enjoyed Codman’s own beef, pork, and chicken for dinner. We ate farm-raised hamburgers, sausage, chicken drumsticks, hot dogs, and veggie sandwiches, plus brownies and s’mores for dessert!

Click on images below for larger versions and captions:
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”114″ gal_title=”Codman campout 2019″]

(See story and photos from the 2012 Codman Campout)

The moon remained bright, but eventually the guitar playing wound down, all the hiders were found by the seekers, and the whole farm, animals and humans, conked out for the night. We were up with the animals the next morning for bagels, orange juice, and lots of coffee for the adults, and an early-morning hide and seek game began again almost immediately.

A huge thanks to the Codman Board and volunteers for organizing this year’s spectacular event, I’m already looking forward to next year, and brushing up on my campy Codman songs

Ginger Reiner is the treasurer for Codman Community Farms.

“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.

Letter to the editor: gratitude for Lincoln’s Pierce House

To the editor:

Sometimes, it is important to send a note of gratitude. Here is mine for today.

Many of us enjoy the generosity of those around us and those who came before. From time to time, that generosity should be publicly acknowledged. The Fourth of July approaches, we must thank all who have made this beloved Lincoln event possible. One aspect of our celebrations, our after-parade luncheon put on by the Boy Scouts, should remind of  the essential role its host, the Pierce House, plays in the life of our community.

In 1910, John H. Pierce, like several of his wealthy contemporaries, made a substantial gift to the town. He willed both his house on Weston Road and the surrounding 30 acres. Little could he have imagined  how well that gift would serve the town — how vibrant it would become and how essential to so much of our community life!

Since it was opened for public use decades ago,  it has welcomed us all to celebrate weddings, graduations, birthdays, and retirements, as well as to mourn passings. It also hosts many town events such as our First Day open house, where up to 500 of us have come together to welcome in the New Year in an all afternoon, all-ages event of food and music and conversation. The house also welcomes events for town organizations such as the Garden Club and others.

We have not only John Pierce and his family to thank for all this, but also the volunteer Pierce House Committees and professional house managers over the years. Many traditions of hospitality were introduced by Richard Silver and his wife Susan. And recently, Nancy Beach has continued and expanded on that legacy.

The house has thrived under their professional leadership, and the town has been the beneficiary.

It is especially remarkable  how well Pierce House has served the town, given it has done so on a shoestring budget.

While offerings to the community at low or no cost and community use has grown, the portion of the budget, financed by town funds, has not. And this, again, is due to the work of the Pierce House Committee and former manager Silver and current manager Beach. They have skillfully balanced the use of the house for non-resident events such as weddings, in such a way that those revenues offset much of the expense of running the house for our use. We are all beneficiaries of their efforts.

So, as we sit under the tent and enjoy our lunch this Fourth of July and look out over the beautiful grounds and park, think of John Pierce and all members of Pierce House Committee, past and present. And, we should also remember the work of house managers Richard Silver and Nancy Beach. If it were not for all of them, we would not have this gem, this wonderful asset serving us all in the heart of Lincoln. They all deserve a note of gratitude.

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd., Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Obituaries

Dorothy Cannistraro

Dorothy Cannistraro

Dorothy Ann (Moore) Cannistraro died on Tuesday, June 11, peacefully in her sleep at St. Patrick’s Manor in Framingham, where she had resided for six years. Dottie lived with deep faithfulness, good humor, and a commitment to sharing kindness with others.

Born in Framingham in 1934 and raised in Millis, Dottie enjoyed the company of a large extended family, including her parents Harold and Dorothy Moore and younger brother Louis Moore. Her strong will and determination gave her strength to buck the system and get the education she deserved in spite of her cerebral palsy. Her fighting spirit, coupled with unparalleled determination, made her an inspiration to those who had an opportunity to know her. Indeed, when Dottie graduated from Millis High School in 1953, long before the Americans with Disabilities Act or anything like it, no one who knew Dottie was surprised she accomplished that unlikely feat.

As a young adult, Dottie worked as a clerk librarian at the Millis school library. In the summer of 1962 she had the opportunity to attend Camp Freedom (now called Camp Jabberwocky) on Martha’s Vineyard. It was a fortuitous trip because it was there that she met Domenic Cannistraro. Dom and Dottie married in 1970. Their marriage was one of mutual love, respect, and cooperation. They made their home in Lincoln, where the sparkle in Dottie’s eye and her nurturing spirit made Dottie a favorite among neighborhood children, many of whom she cared for in her home-based childcare.

Dom and Dottie were faithful members of St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln for 34 years. A woman of deep faith, Dorothy was an active member of the Service League there. After moving to Framingham, Dom and Dottie joined St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in 2004. Much to their surprise and delight their daughter, the Rev. Julie Carson, became rector of their congregation in 2007.

Dorothy glowed with pride at the accomplishments of Julie, her son-in-law Phillip Carson, and grandchildren Natalie and Thomason Carson, all of Framingham. She also leaves a brother, Louis Moore, sisters-in-law who were more like sisters, and many nieces and nephews. Known as “Honey” to her extended family, it was a fitting nickname for someone as sweet and generous as Dottie. Dottie was preceded in death by her parents and beloved husband Domenic.

A service of thanksgiving for Dottie’s life will be held at St. Anne’s in the Fields Episcopal Church, 147 Concord Road in Lincoln, on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 11:00 AM with interment of ashes to follow in the church memorial garden.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to Camp Jabberwocky, 200 Greenwood Ave., Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.

(Obituary courtesy Concord Funeral Home)

Ernest Fisher

Ernest Fisher of Westwood, formerly of Milton and Lincoln on Friday, June 14, 2019. Husband of the late Doris (Riman) Fisher. Loving father of Candace Gustafson, Margo Fisher-Martin, Peter Fisher, Hynda Kleinman and the late Douglas and Jody Beth Fisher. Adored grandfather of Adam Gustafson, Amanda Greuter, Ali Martin, Dana Kleinman, Ruth Duff, Tobias and Tina Fisher. Great grandfather of Nicholas Fisher, Stephanie Fisher Levesque, Alex Fisher Levesque, Layla, Marley and Nora Gustafson, and Calder and Ava Duff. He was an Army veteran of World War II and a graduate of Harvard University’s class of 1943.

Services were held at the Levine Chapels in Brookline on June 17; burial was at the Beth El Cemetery in West Roxbury. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Jody Beth Fisher Dean’s Discretionary Fund at Harvard College, c/o Alumni and Development Services, 124 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (please make check payable to Harvard College with “Jody Beth Fisher Dean’s Discretionary Fund” on the memo line).

(Obituary courtesy Levine Chapels)

L-S to start school day 35 minutes later in 2020-21

Students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School will be able to get another half an hour of sleep in the mornings starting in fall 2020.

The LSRHS and Sudbury School Committees voted unanimously on June 11 to change their school day start times, with the high school day set to begin at 8:25 a.m. instead of the current 7:50 a.m. Sudbury elementary and middle schools will start at 7:55 a.m. and 8:30 a.m, respectively. In the coming academic year, administrators will work on an implementation pan, including schedule revisions and setting school day end times.

“The vote is not an end — it’s really a beginning,” said Carole Kasper, a Lincoln member of the L-S School Committee and its Start Time Subcommittee.

The move is based on recent research showing that the circadian rhythms of children’s bodies shift as they enter adolescence around age 12, resulting in naturally later times for falling asleep and waking up. Teens have trouble falling asleep before 11 p.m., meaning that the early start time results in chronic sleep deprivation and other resulting problems.

“Based on the experience of districts across Massachusetts and the country, we expect our students will benefit from this change. Across both districts, we expect middle and high school students will have improved cognition, physical and emotional health, and academic performance, as well as fewer injuries, risky and impulsive behaviors, and absenteeism and tardiness,” the subcommittee said in a May 29 presentation.

Experts present their data and arguments in a four-minute video that was shown at a June 10 public forum (the segment begins at the 6:28 mark). This and other videos came about as a result of the National Conference on Adolescent Sleep, Health, and School Start Times held in Washington in April 2017.

If the current schedule structure remains as is, the end of the high school day would move from the current 2:40 p.m. to 3:14 p.m. The current three-year teacher contract signed in 2018 included flexibility to change the start time as long as the school day length remains at six hours and 49 minutes.

The school day ending time will affect after-school activities including sports. L-S athletic teams play in the Dual County League (DCL). League members Acton-Boxborough, Concord-Carlisle, and Weston have already moved to later start times in the school day, and Wayland will do so in the next year. Sixteen other Massachusetts school districts have done the same.

The movement toward later start times in Sudbury and L-S began in 2015 at a tri-district school committee meeting. A 2017 report by the LSHRS Sleep and School Time Subcommittee consisting of school committee members, teachers, administrators, and parents recommended changing morning bus schedules and creating a new subcommittee to investigate the operational issues involved.

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

Letter to the editor: a round of applause for swap table volunteers

Letter to the editor

To the editor:

The Recycling Committee would like to thank the volunteers at the transfer station. They are very much appreciated — just ask the transfer station attendants!

The volunteers help keep the area neat and clean. They throw out many of the unused items that get deposited in the swap area. They empty numerous bags and boxes so residents can see what is available for the taking. They keep the small shed neat and organized and dispose of books which are outdated and unwanted. The Recycling Committee and volunteers have donated books to the Lincoln Public Library monthly book sale as well as More Than Words, a terrific nonprofit a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers young adults who are in the foster care system, court-involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by participation in a book-selling business.

We support Lincoln residents who, on occasion, collect items for charity. There is a particular need right in our backyard at a wonderful organization, Household Goods in Acton, which sets up folks in need with necessary household items — these are usually not “valuable” items in the sense that they’re worth a lot of money ,but they’re tremendously valuable if you don’t have resources to acquire them. We always encourage residents to take their items there directly if possible, but we’re thrilled when residents take it upon themselves to help such worthy organizations.

The main purpose of the transfer station is trash collection and recycling. That means that the more items taken away, the more we keep out of the landfill and the less the town spends in tipping fees. At the end of the day, many of the items left in the swap area are thrown out as there is a need to make room for more that keeps on coming — the less left over, the better.

Lincoln is lucky to have the swap area. As co-chair, I have been asked to speak to the recycling committees of other towns who would very much like to set one up but struggle to get the Department of Public Works to agree. We are appreciative of the support Chris Bibbo, director of DPW, gives to the swap effort here in Lincoln.

I’m amazed at the items I find whenever I show up at the transfer station — it’s always interesting, fun and often rewarding. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

To address some concerns that have been raised: if a resident sees someone they don’t believe lives in Lincoln, they can point the individual out to the attendant, who can then ask to see their transfer station sticker — easy fix there! And, of course, no one should take anything out of someone’s car — that’s theft.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at 781-259-8149. I’m happy to hear what you feel is working or not working, and we are always looking for interested folks to join the Recycling Committee.

Sincerely,

Laura Berland
Co-chair, Lincoln Recycling Committee

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.