At TurnPark’s Summer Festival, We Indulged In The Elements

A day-long celebration of art and nature, the well-attended second annual TurnPark Art Space Summer Festival in West Stockbridge on June 11, had some elements (as in fire) that made it a highly memorable event for the crowd. The theme was “Healing Flames,” centered around the unveiling of “Earth and Sky,” a an eight-foot sculpture by world-renowned, Estonian-American (and locally based) ceramicist Sergei Isupov. For two weeks, Isupov, who was educated in Ukraine, had been building an eight-foot ceramic sculpture, working with renowned kiln builder Andres Allik from Estonia.

Andres Allik, master kiln builder, stokes the fire.

In the morning, the 10-foot-tall “petal” kiln was fired and was stoked all day by volunteers as it built to a peak temperature of 2300°F. At the close of the festival, Allik deemed the sculpture ready for its unveiling, and the kiln, with the assistance of the volunteers, opened like petals of a flower to reveal a fiery glowing “Earth and Sky.” This kiln is the first of its kind to be built and fired in New England, and will remain on site for future projects.

In between the firing and the reveal, the day offered a variety of performing and visual arts across its many hills and meadows, with an emphasis on opportunities to reflect on and support Ukraine through direct donations and the purchase of merchandise, extending an aid drive that began in March when TurnPark shipped thousands of items from the community to humanitarian organizations working in Ukraine.