Clouds and rain couldn’t keep the celebration from taking place at the Eustis Estate on October 31, 2021. After a highly successful exhibition over the summer, Historic New England invited the public to the grounds of the Estate to enjoy a day of performance, activity, and the final few hours of Looking Back With 2020 Vision.
Amidst walking tours and guided meditation sessions, our Historic New England friends announced the winners of the Juror’s Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award. While this show was full of thought-provoking and engaging pieces, Larry Elardo’s Strange Fruit was often at the center of conversation, and aptly won People’s Choice. As a testament to the quality of the work on display, the jurors picked not one but two winners for Juror’s Choice: Michael Alfano’s Gates of Transcendence and Lee Hutt’s George Floyd.Â
After the announcements, Continuum Dance Project presented a series of dance vignettes that interacted with the sculptures around the grounds. These pieces were adapted from “Crossing: Stories of Immigration,” choreographed by Adriane Brayton and Fernadina Chan in collaboration with the dancers. This work is a cross-disciplinary exploration on the theme of immigration using real interviews with immigrants as the soundtrack.Â
Many thanks to Historic New England for making this exhibition possible, to Continuum Dance Project for making this day so special, and to everyone who voted for their favorite works. Congratulations to Larry, Michael, and Lee; and to every artist who had the courage to tackle impossibly difficult issues through their art and share their work with us!
