Artwork > Local Horizon 2021

Local Horizon is an artistic homage to the 40th anniversary of Bill Parry and Amy Purcell’s 1981 land artwork, Ring of Trees, in Alfred Station, NY. Stephanie McMahon, Jason Green, Nina Rizzo, Patrick Brennan and Amanda Oglesbee will present paintings and sculpture in conversation with the concepts and observations present in this work and the surrounding environment in a public opening event at the Ring of Trees site and surrounding landscape.

In 2009, Stephanie McMahon and Jason Green moved into their house in Alfred Station, NY that was built by the artist Bill Parry in 1972. Upon moving in, they were presented with a document and photograph about the Ring of Trees artwork located on the property. Created by Amy Purcell and Bill Parry in 1981, the Ring of Trees is an artwork that reveals nature’s continuous time element and life cycles. The document states that the artists and future property owners should maintain the ring of trees, experience and document the changes and communicate these to others. Today, the original circle of pines remains largely intact, fully grown and the center remains clear. This collaboration is one of the lasting projects that sculpted and shaped the local landscape within the longstanding artistic community of Alfred, NY. Over the years, the property also contained many outdoor sculptures and earthworks that were integrated into the terrain. The history that shaped this environment, the legacy Bill Parry left behind and the sense of wonder he instilled in his work and artistic endeavors planted the seed for a new event to take place. On the 40th anniversary of this project McMahon and Green invited three other artists who have a connection to the landscape to pay tribute to the work in a one-day celebration open to the public. McMahon will install a series of paintings within the Ring of Trees and Green, Rizzo, Brennan and Oglesbee will present works in various locations throughout the property. All artists share an affinity with the landscape through diverse approaches ranging from abstraction to representation. This event is a continuation of the intentions of the original work, reflecting the spirit of the Ring of Trees and the surrounding landscape.

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts