RAAC debuts ephemeral art program at county park
The Rappahannock Association for Arts and the Community (RAAC) debuted its 2023 Ephemeral Art Program at the Rappahannock County Park on July 1. The Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities Authority (RCRFA) and the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection (RLEP) were co-sponsors for this year’s program. The well-attended opening ceremony featured artists Barbara Sharp, Dabney Kirchman, and Regina Yurkonis, whose proposals were selected from a number of applicants based on overall quality, creativity, and adherence to the principles of the Ephemeral Art program.
Ephemeral art is art that is non-permanent, brief, fleeting. It’s a term that usually describes art that happens once and is not preserved as a lasting object in a museum or private collection. RAAC’s Ephemeral Art Program invited artists to create art from natural materials taken from the environment at hand – leaves, sticks, rocks, earth, and other man-made or found objects.
Each artist spoke briefly to describe her work. Barbara Sharp’s installation, “Domum Apes” (Latin for “A Home for Bees”), is a hand-woven bee skep crafted from local grasses woven together with cane. She explained that bee skeps have been used for over 2,000 years starting in Ireland and were first made with willow plastered with mud or dung. She hopes that those who see her skep will develop an interest in learning more about bees and what they do for us and our world,
including what actions we can take to protect the bees’ environment. “The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our senses to grow stronger,” she said, quoting Irish poet W.B. Yeats.
Artist Dabney Kirchman’s installation, “Nature’s Eye,” features a series of river rocks painted with natural substances arranged in concentric circles around a central “eye” decorated with fresh leaves. Dabney explained that she drew inspiration from noted sculptor and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy. Using charcoal to color the black stones, swamp clay from her own property for the blue-gray, and “good old Virginia red clay from the side of Route 211” for the red, she hopes that her work “makes you smile, leads you to find joy in the simplest things – like rocks – and to reflect on, as Douglas Adams says,
‘Life, the Universe, and Everything.’”
Artist Regina Yurkonis’ installation, “Confluence,” features three “waterways” constructed from raw wool locks that are arranged so they appear to spring from the earth and trees and then head downward toward the Rush River. While two of the waterways use light-colored wool, the third is darker and dotted with deliberately placed trash — plastic spoons, Styrofoam, and other detritus. After joining with the other two streams, the darker one bestows its hue — and trash
— upon them. “I’d like people to consider how all these things are included in our water cycle,” she explained. “Bits of them travel into the water and into us.”
RLEP board member and Ephemeral Art Program co-director Claire Cassel expressed enthusiasm for this year’s installations. “The Rappahannock County Park is a great venue for RAAC’s 2023 Ephemeral Art Program,” she said. “What a wonderful opportunity to show off all the volunteer hours spent clearing the trails along the Rush River, removing invasive plant
species, and planting natives while exhibiting nature-inspired art created by Rappahannock artists!”
Bonnie Beers, chair of the RCRFA Natural Area Management Committee, said that RCRFA was “honored and delighted” to be a partner in the Ephemeral Art Program. “We hope that these art installations will highlight both artists in our community and the exceptional natural areas in our county park,” she said. “Watch for artist statements coming soon to the display case in the park pavilion.” There are also plans to install additional signage at the park to direct visitors toward each installation.
The ephemeral art will remain in place at the park through the end of August. All are invited to visit, enjoy the trails, and take away whatever message they will from each installation. The next installment of the program will take place in 2024.