How long do you think art should last? By that I mean the individual pieces that artists make: the paintings and sculptures, pottery and assemblages, drawings and collages.
On the Lynden grounds there is a collection of approximately 50 sculptures. Most of these works were made in the 1960s and 1970s. Visitors to Lynden and other collections usually do not think about the effort that must be given to “preserving” the art they look at. The Lynden collection will not last forever unless time, money, and considerable effort continue to be provided to repair, to remove dirt and oxidation, to repaint, and to otherwise ensure the sculptures will be around for many more decades to come.
Lynden no longer actively collects work to remain permanently in the collection, but it commissions artists to create works that live briefly, for a few days to a few months or a few years. As part of my residency at Lynden, I have been making a series of temporary sculptures that I call “Pop Ups.” These Pop Ups are intended to remain/live only briefly. They are not made from metals, stone, or materials that can withstand Nature’s elements for decades. Instead, they are expected to be more ephemeral, and made of wood, found objects, cloth, or even paper…perhaps something quite unexpected. They respond to site, season, and the materials at hand.