About the exhibition:

Deconstructed Landscapes by Sarah Peoples is a public art installation of six sculptures assembled from recycled and post-consumer materials for the Everyday Futures Fest at Palumbo Park. 

“Every moment instructs, and every object; for wisdom is infused into every form. It has been poured into us as blood; it convulsed us as pain; it slid into us as pleasure; it enveloped us in dull, melancholy days, or in days of cheerful labor; we did not guess its essence until after a long time.” Ralph W. Emerson, Nature, published 1836.

In his essay, Nature published in 1836, author Ralph W. Emerson articulates humankind’s unavoidable relationship to the natural world. It’s about the passing of energy. It’s about a connection. The connection of passed energy. The connection of the passed energy that is embodied within everything. It is through this essay that Sarah Peoples gained inspiration for Deconstructed Landscapes.

While Emerson’s Nature sparked the initial Idea for the exhibit, the primary inspiration for Deconstructed Landscapes are the paintings of Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School, a contemporary of Emerson, and arguably the quintessential American Romantic Landscape painter. Cole’s paintings rely on symbolism to convey ideas in a self-invented framework by utilizing five necessary components needed to paint a distinctly American landscape: water, mountains, sky, forest and wilderness. Each one of these elements bears meaning in Cole’s depictions of the majesty of the American landscape. Mountains convey the fortitude of the human spirit, forests convey courage or immortality, sky is the soul of “man”. etc.

The largest sculpture incorporates all five elements of a proper landscape according to Cole. The five accompanying sculptures singularly represent each element from nature; water, mountain, sky, forest and wilderness. Color plays a vital role as Cole had a very specific 14 color-palette in which he used to paint his landscapes, and the sculptures will utilize these colors either their pure form or mixed to demonstrate this signature palette. 

Students from Jefferson’s School of Design and Engineering and College of Architecture and the Built Environment will assist with the fabrication and installation of these sculptures. Deconstructed Landscapes will be on view at Palumbo Park beginning April 7th, and will be available as a video walkthrough shortly after. The exhibit will be on view until April 30th.

About the artist:

Sarah Peoples is a sculptor from Philadelphia. Peoples is a 2021 Art Is Essential grantee and a 2018 Fleisher Art Memorial Wind Challenge recipient. Peoples has exhibited her work in galleries and museums, both at home and abroad. Galleries include AUTOMAT Collective in Philadelphia, PEEP Space in Tarrytown, NY and MWoods, a private museum in Beijing, China where she is part of the museum’s permanent collection.

Peoples has installed several non-commissioned public works including and most notably a large scale Plastic Rainbow sculpture in Fairmount Park. Conrad Benner, from the celebrated Streets Dept., described the piece in his article roundup of Top 10 Philly Public Art + Street Art Moments of 2020: “…the arched rainbow (that) became a citywide symbol…”. As an outcome of that project, most recently, Peoples was awarded a first round Art is Essential grant from the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority’s Fund for Art and Civic Engagement with support from the Knight Foundation.

Currently, Sarah has been selected to be Lead Artist in the 2022 Everyday Futures Fest by Da Vinci Art Alliance and Jefferson University, sponsored by PECO, PNC Bank and Mural Arts focusing on sustainability.

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