Connection. David Macvaugh, artist
A sculpture by Art League of Henderson County member David Macvaugh has been accepted into ArtFields, an annual competition and exhibition in Lake City, SC, that places up to 400 selected works of art on display in locally owned venues, including 1920s warehouses, professional art spaces, the library, the history museum, restaurants, boutiques and other local businesses. Two other Art League of Henderson County artists—Eleanor Palmer and Melanie Hopkins—as well as Art on 7th artist Joel Hunnicutt have also had work selected for the exhibition, which runs April 26 through May 4.
Macvaugh’s piece, Connection, is 10’ x 10’ x 6’, weighs more than 300 pounds and hangs suspended in a large wood frame. Marked Tree Vineyard, in Flat Rock, has generously agreed to display the sculpture until it travels to SC for ArtFields. “Marked Tree is founded on the idea of trees as guideposts or signs along your path of life,” says Tim Parks, vineyard proprietor. “We found Connection not only fitting within the landscape of Marked Tree but also capable of taking the community on another journey or path to explore.”
The sculpture will be on display at Marked Tree beginning Friday, February 16, when a VIP event will be held at 5 p.m. The public may begin viewing the sculpture on Saturday, February 17, when the winery opens. Connection will stay at Marked Tree through April 19.
Seeing two chestnut slabs on offer and recalling a childhood memory of chestnuts roasting on vendor carts in Philadelphia led Macvaugh to begin researching the American chestnut tree in preparation for the piece. “The slabs became 12 trapezoid building blocks,” he says. “The blocks were then turned on my lathe to form the hole in the center. The blocks wanted to be embellished, and the blocks were going to join one another to form an arch, a bridge. The connecting strands of DNA would flow through the blocks. But I still needed a miracle of sorts—the arch. The bridge needed to be suspended as a gift being given from the heavens or the divine, and the suspension was accomplished.” Macvaugh interprets his work in this way: “I believe people can be like chestnut trees,” he says. “The bridge represents the connection between humans and the natural world; just like the hybridization of the chestnut tree, we can become stronger as we embrace diversity. When we are united, we are stronger.”
To learn more about the Art League of Henderson County and other upcoming events, visit ArtLeagueHVL.org. Marked Tree Vineyard is located at 623 Deep Gap Road, Flat Rock. Learn more at MarkedTreeVineyard.com. Additional events celebrating local ArtFields artists are planned for March. For more information about ArtFields, visit ArtFieldsSC.org.
