2023 Artist in Residence Ian Silvia installed 8 glass, stone and metal works throughout the trails at Westport Woods Conservation Park.
A Little Compton resident, Ian brings a lifetime of familiarity with the local ecosystem to his work. As you walk the trails, keep your eyes open for pieces that look like the elements from which they were created: roots, mushrooms, crystals…even faces!
- Just off the carriage path by the children’s garden are three installations of roots, fern, and crystals.
- Along the yellow path you can find shelves of mushrooms in trees and sprouting along a stone wall.
- The carriage path hides faces and a large head lies, as if toppled, beyond the historic bridge, just as the yellow path picks up on the east side of the meadow.
“As an artist, I want to influence how other people see that space, or I like to put a little bit of humor in my work or something unexpected. Ultimately, we need more of our days changed in a better way. That’s why I think public art has its place because it’s open to everybody. It’s not put into privatized spaces where only certain people can go. Westport Woods attracts so many different people using it in different ways. I think it will be exciting to see their reactions to my art.” Artist Ian Silvia in conversation with Merri Cyr, Westport Now.