FREE TO THE PUBLIC
Friday, April 28, 5 to 9 PM
Utica, NY— The public is invited to attend Tree of 40 Fruit Dedication & Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 28 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm at the Sculpture Space Studio at 12 Gates Street, West Utica. The dedication will take place at 5:00 pm, including a demonstration with artist Sam Van Aken.
The dedication will be followed by a party in honor of Arbor Day featuring live music provided by the Otis monk project. The event will include a cash bar and on-site food truck vendors including Kettlekorn, Kitty’s, and Gypsy Girl Pizza. Admission to both events is free.
This year, as part of their 40th-anniversary celebration, Sculpture Space is very proud to be working with Syracuse sculptor Sam Van Aken to plant one of his rare “Tree of 40 Fruit” in the front of Sculpture Space. This process, which grafts 40 different varietals of fruit into one single tree, is unique and takes many years to accomplish. Each unique Tree of 40 Fruit grows over forty different types of stone fruit including peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, and almonds. Sculpted through the process of grafting, the Tree of 40 Fruit blossoms in variegated tones of pink, crimson and white in spring, and in summer bear a multitude of fruit. When completed this tree will grow and become a stunning landmark and place-making point of interest in the West Utica corridor. There are only a dozen trees like this in the world and it will set our town apart and truly become an anchor and attraction to West Utica. For more information about Sam Van Aken and Tree of 40 Fruit, please visit https://www.samvanaken.com/ and https://www.treeof40fruit.com/.
The tree is made possible by a generous gift provided by The Mele Family Fund of the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties.
Sculpture Space is a cultural resource within the City of Utica, the Mohawk Valley, and Upstate New York. Sculpture Space promotes interaction between international visiting artists and the local community through installations in public spaces, studio tours and collaborations with other organizations to realize artists’ projects. Fifteen to twenty national and international artists are accepted each year for a two-month residency, receiving stipends to offset materials and travel costs, subsidized housing, 24-hour access to the studio and technical assistance. The program is made possible in part with support from the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties Inc., area foundations, corporations, and generous friends. For more information on Sculpture Space, please call 315-724-8381 or visit www.sculpturespace.org.
