By Wendy Elliott
This is the fifth year of uncommon art in common places around Kings County, and these works never fail to fascinate.
“This project was born out of a simple observation of humans sometimes subtle and beautiful impact in nature,” said Terry Drahos of the Alliance of Kings Artists.
The installations in this project, she says, are gifts from the artists to the observers of nature to find, explore, talk about and share.
Drahos says the project is designed to highlight two of Kings County’s greatest assets: the abundance of creative people who live here and a beautiful environment.
“The idea for this project came from the joy of finding unexpected creations while exploring nature. Involvement is not limited to professional artists or just visual art,” she said.
The outdoor exhibit in nature could be called an art scavenger hunt, or hiking meets art, she said.
Nicole Evans and Pat Farrell have another delightful floating installation in their surreal series in North Grand Pré. Doors, posed at impossible angles, are their speciality.
Laura MacNutt and Paul Rodgers have placed a whimsical living picnic installation on Ridge Road. As designer/builders of homes, their portfolio also includes sculptures and furniture. Jane Harrington, a Wolfville parks employee and theatre graduate, placed her contribution on a planter near Willow Park.
Drahos has created one-of-a-kind ornaments featuring faces. They decorate the trees on the wooded hiking trails on Acadia University property.
Ron Hayes and Ian Funke MacKay have collaborated on a colourful single installation called Pipe Dreams at the ArtCan Café in Canning.
Poet Kelly Marie Redcliffe and textile artist Pia Skaarer-Nielsen worked together to give textured form and a voice to the common cattail. Skaarer-Nielsen constructing an over-sized woolen cattail sculpture out of recycled materials and wool, while Redcliffe gave it a voice. The installation is on the trail by the Cornwallis River across from the Kentville Agriculture Centre.
Sculptor Nistal Prem de Boer has installed a work he calls Wind Tones on Russia Road near Berwick and Eileen Boyd placed her creature, known as Zelda the water dragon, on Hall Road in Windermere.
Twila Robar-DeCoste of Aylesford has a moose adjacent to her Windsong Studio and Gallery.‘Moose in the Headlights is made of wood and cedar brush.
She says the moose, known as Albert, was a community effort, with generous family members and neighbours helping to cut the wood and assist in the construction.
Photographer Ernest Cadegan captured each work for the brochure again this year. He moved to the Canning area in 2002 and his photographs are a crucial component of the Uncommon Common Art brochure.
Maps to all of the installations can be found at Nova Scotia Visitor Information centres and business in and around Kings County as well as online.
