Ashley McCord's Earth Art Blog

Maymont Park

2008-12-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

Maymont is a gorgeous park that man has put its influence on. Maymont Foundations says "The story of Maymont began in 1893, when a wealthy Richmond couple, James and Sallie Dooley, completed their elaborate Gilded Age estate on a site high above the James River. Upon their deaths and according to their wishes, Maymont—including its architectural complex, the 100-acre landscape, and a collection of exquisite furnishings—was left to the people of Richmond."

Some may comment is a park earth art? I believe Maymont has wonderful earth art embedded in it. In Overlay, it quotes Robert Smithson saying "Parks are idealizations of nature, but nature in fact is not a condition of the ideal... Nature is never finished... Parks are finished landscapes for finished art. The museums and parks are graveyards above ground." However, I agree with writer of Overlay, Lucy Lippard, in that the mounds, circles, rows, and shelters of stone that have survived prehistoric "gardens" offer a framework for looking as "sculpture gardens" in museums, parks, bank plazas, or private estates. And in that "indoor sculptures in semi-public spaces deny the continuity with nature, site, and community that is a necessity for a living art." Many of the pictures below capture earth art and others just incaptured me and thought you would enjoy as well.

Maymont will always be special to be because this is where my husband proposed to me last March.

more pics of final project

2008-12-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

Ana Mendieta's piece that inspired me.

Final Project: My imprint on Earth; Freedom, Harmony and Unity

2008-12-01T07:57:00.000-08:00

My idea was to create something that was eco-friendly. I wanted to create art while at the same time have it be usefull to nature. One of Ana Mendieta's silloute pieces inspired me. Ana Mendieta created a raft or float with a silloute of a woman in flower pedals and pushed it down the river.

My piece shown here is a raft built out of logs and willow tree branches. On the raft I painted a bird in peanut butter, covered it with bird seed, and released it into the lake. Birds are such interesting creatures that play many important diverse roles in nature, religion, and culture.

I made two rafts (small and big) Check out the video footage as the smaller raft enters the lake.

With the war still going on, I wanted to create another piece of work to symbolize harmony and unity. This was made using a variety of rocks.

Chicago Earth Art

2008-11-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

Along the Magnifient Mile in downtown Chicago there is different displays of manikins wearing unique created dresses. I took these this past August. It got me thinking about how nature is implented on fashion.

The Ultimate Traditional Earth Art

2008-11-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the holidays approaching, I realized the Christmas tree is earth art that people from all over the world create. People decorate their trees in unquie and memorable ways. And as I'm sure you can probably agree with me on this; when I see a beautiful Christmas tree, my spirits are uplifted. The Christmas tree can be dated all the way back to 16th century Germany.

This is my husband, Billy, holding our cat Isabel by our first Christmas tree. This Christmas we will add an ornament that says "Our First Christmas" I see decorating Christmas trees a work of art that you get to recreate and build off of each Christmas.

Nature also has its own ways to create its own masterpiece on Christmas trees. The snow on the trees make them look so beautiful.

This picture with the trees lined up reminds me Maya Lins work of the "wave field"

Belle Isle

2008-11-17T07:41:00.001-08:00

Belle Isle is a beautiful little island filled amazing earth art. It is a small (54 acre) island on the James River in Richmond, VA. Belle Isle is owned by the city of Richmond, and was designated a city park in 1973. Belle Isle was the site of a Civil War prison camp for Union soldiers. The isle now contains abandoned industrial plants, steel and iron plant, and a hydroelectric plant. Many of these abandonments have been taken over or changed by the earth since the 1800s and early 1900s, hence why Belle Isle is filled with some amazing earth art. Below are the pictures I took on Nov. 16, 2008 that I thought captured the essence of the earth art on Belle Isle.

These 3 pictures are of the old Robert E. Lee bridge orig. built in 1934.

This is what is left of the Old Dominion Iron and Steel Company built in the early 1900s.

Prof. Birchett, did you put this red scarf here? : D

Look really closely and you can see a scary face!

This was a headgate cleaner used to filter out trash as the water went to the power plant. The right picture is the actual headgate. The hydroelectric power generating plant ran from 1904-1963.

Belle Isle Milling and Slitting Manufactory.

Appox. 1815-1900

These pictures do not do Belle Isle justice. You have to go check it out for yourself. If you can't make it out there, then at least check out this video of Belle Isle from Discover Richmond.

.discoverrichmond.com/dis/sports/recreation/james_river/article/belle_isle/1455/

Robert Smithson

2008-11-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

Many of Robert Smithson's works jump out at me. I love love love some of works such as a few of the Yucatan Mirror Displacements, 1969, and of course the Spiral Jetty. In an article by Jennifer Roberts she committs how Smithson spoke often of his desire to be "thrown out to the edges, " which I believe suits him well.

Maya Lin

2008-11-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

I love how Maya Lin brings together her to passions, art and architecture, to create such wonderful works such as the three pieces of the “Wave Field.” The first at the University of Michigan and the second not shown probably because it was done at a courthouse, courtyard of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. federal courthouse in Miami. If any one finds a picture of it, then let me know : D The third and last of the series opens in Spring 2009 at the Storm King Art Center in New York. Lin has been working on it for about 8 years! Wow! And the “waves” are 8-12 feet above you! Wow again!

What is Earth Art?

2008-11-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

Earth art is art nature created by itself, such as the natural bridge or Luray caverns and...

...also the art that man has influenced on nature, such as the Iximche ruins that the Mayans first created or the way farmers have separated their land or crops.

Earth art is all around us! It can take on many forms and names such as land art, earth works, eco-art, and environmental art.

Environmental art is art that the artists design where it doesn't harm the environment and/or sends a message about the environment, think GREEN

Land art is art created on the natures landscape, like the natural bridge.

Earthworks art is art that uses natures own, such as stone and leaves.

I find eco-art the same or very similar to enviromental art. Eco-art artists tend to use friendly non-toxic art supplies or use recycled media such as metal and paper.

Tim Pace, Preying Mantis