Milliken with Pasture Song at deCordova
Defining her sculpture as “contemporary pastoralism,” Winship Milliken is inspired by our age-old relationship to nature as a way to consider ecological questions in the present. She creates environmental and site-specific sculptures in both urban and rural settings using natural materials like sheep’s wool or earth/clay from pasture fields surrounding the studio. Her design is based around the principle of keeping materials close to their original state with the goal of transforming the viewer, not the materials. The sculptures interact with the environment and are activated by ephemeral forces such as wind, rain, and sun, calling attention to the textures, odors, and movement of natural materials composed in formally simple structures. The work ultimately addresses complex issues involved in sustainable living. Much of the work is made in collaboration with farmers, artisans, poets and environmental studies interns from universities all over the nation. The studio culture creates the space and time for mentoring creative environmental leadership.
Winship Milliken earned an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2008. She has installed work in New England, National Parks and New Zealand farmlands, and shown in solo and select group shows, including at Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, VT; Shelburne Museum, Vermont; deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Massachusetts; Boston Sculptors Gallery, Massachusetts; Minute Man National Historical Park, Massachusetts; Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, Vermont; Burlington City Arts, Vermont; Christian Science Plaza in Boston; Provincetown Art Association Museum, Massachusetts; Qorikancha Museum, Cusco, Peru.
Bread and Butter Farm
