An artistic creation recently came to life in Tacony Creek Park through the work of Artist Sarah Kavage and assistants Brenda Howell and Ann Nguyen, thanks to the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River (AWE) and its art project titled Lenapehoking~Watershed. TTF is a member of the Alliance for Watershed Education and the lead organization focused on community engagement, improvement, programming, and stewardship in this urban watershed park.
The Lenapehoking~Watershed, a place for water, art and culture (L~W) is an environmentally-focused public art project organized by AWE to introduce you to your watershed! From spring of 2021 to late fall of 2021, Lenapehoking~Watershed winds its way through the landscapes and waterways of the Delaware River Watershed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The project offers multiple opportunities for inspiration, refreshment, and learning and demonstrates the power of the arts to create meaningful connections with the natural world through embodied experiences. You’re invited to discover new things, meet new people at outdoor cultural gatherings, and enjoy solitary meditations on art and nature.
As part of L~W, Intertwined is a series of 3 sculptures along the trail in Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Tacony Creek Park, woven from invasive grapevines harvested on site by volunteers in early April. The vine harvest freed several large trees that were covered with grapevines.
This work re-imagines the relationship between the trees and the grapevines. Instead of seeing vines as invasive and harmful, could they be devoted friends, adorning the trees? Migration and movement is a part of natural and human history, and these artworks also speak to our interdependence, histories and futures, as well as the need to support and value each other no matter who we are or where we come from.
Find these artworks in Tacony Creek Park along the trail section between the Tabor Road and Olney Avenue Gateway and Rising Sun Avenue. One is on a bench, one on a rotting stump, and one up in a large tree. Location map
Accessibility Info: The artworks are visible from the trail, which is paved and either flat or gently sloped.
Intertwined is one of the works of Water Spirit — a far-reaching project at 17 AWE Centers led by visual artist Sarah Kavage. The work in Water Spirit is built with natural plant materials, many of them locally sourced, that help to tell the story of each site and its relationship to Lenapehoking. The sculptural installations are designed by Kavage and built by her with support from various collaborators and assistants.
Her team includes builder Robert Zverina; engineer Justin Spivey; Community Liaisons Priscilla Bell, Jose Ortiz-Pagan, Ricky Yanas, Kiriaki Anastasiadis, and Leon Rainbow; artists Adria Garcia (grass braiding at Bartram’s Garden, Lehigh Gap Nature Center, and Mill Grove), Aymar Ccopacatty (reed boat-building at Independence Seaport Museum), Yaroub Al Obaidi (mudhif-building at Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education), Misty Sol (artist in residence at Bartram’s Garden), and teams of assistants at each site.
The physical art is a confluence point for communing with nature, culture, and community on a local level. Events, collaborations with other artists, discussions, and performances created with local artists will feed your mind with a cross-pollination of ideas, nourish your body with nature-time, and connect you more deeply with the flowing spirit of the water.
Water Spirit orchestrates numerous opportunities for you to explore, contemplate, and connect. Discover more by clicking here for Locations.
This project builds upon our collaboration with the Olney Culture Lab and artists Jay Coreano and VURT. Interested in working with us to improve Tacony Creek Park in creative ways? Visit TCPKeepers and contact Susan@ttfwatershed.org.