Part of the “Chromatic Canopies” on display through March 1 in Helyar Woods. This piece was designed and installed by Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts (MGSA) student, Chloe Anderson. Photo credit: Chat Travieso.
“Chromatic Canopies: A Student-Created Public Art Installation in Helyar Woods” features laser-cut acrylic shapes installed on branches or downed trees (no healthy trees were harmed in the process) along the Fern Trail.
Members of the campus community and local residents were invited to a guided tour of the art pieces, with the students explaining their inspirations and motivations for creating each sculpture.
Available only through March 1, members of the community can access the Fern Trail to view the art installation via the main Helyar Woods trailhead or several pathways and stone steps leading up from the back of the Pollinator Garden within Rutgers Gardens.
The art installation is a collective effort between MGSA and Rutgers Gardens to help capture the beauty of Helyar Woods and to provide insight into the environment surrounding it, explained Chat Travieso, professor and Tepper Family Endowed Chair in Visual Arts at MGSA.
MGSA senior Jake Gorrie with his installation. Photo credit: Lori Nardoza, Office of Public Outreach and Communication.
“It was a pleasure working with Rutgers Gardens. Over the span of six weeks, the students got to speak with Rutgers Gardens staff, carry out site observations, conduct additional research, develop design proposals, iterate on their ideas, build prototypes, and ultimately fabricate and install their pieces. Along the way, students had the opportunity to learn about Helyar Woods and the amazing resources available to them at Rutgers, engage with real-world partners, and collaborate with each other to produce work that has a meaningful impact on the community,” said Travieso.
The colorful acrylic pieces were installed along the trail in mid-December by the 10 design students enrolled in the Fall 2024 Design Practicum class instructed by Travieso. They included Chloe Anderson, Esteban Arias, Molly Fong, Elisa Gislao, Jake Gorrie, Nicole Machnowski, Branden Mesia, Stayshey Sagastume-Castillo, Ian Sanchez and Hannah Yoon. See images of the installation in the gallery below!
“It was really great getting to collaborate with my classmates for such an interesting installation. It’s been both fun and rewarding and was exciting to see how others engaged with it,” said Jake Gorrie, a senior design student who participated in the guided walking tour.
MGSA senior Elisa Gislao with her installation. Photo credit: Lori Nardoza, Office of Public Outreach and Communication.
“We wanted Chromatic Canopies to work in tandem with the natural beauty found within the Helyar Woods,” said Elisa Gislao, also a senior MGSA student who, along with colleagues, proudly showcased their artistic creations during the guided tour.
“As a class we chose to work with colored transparent acrylic because we wanted the sculptures to interact with their environment as well as each other. You get some really beautiful moments when the light is shining through,” she added.
Director of Rutgers Gardens and Campus Stewardship, Lauren Errickson, welcomed the collaboration, and not only for the burst of color and art in the winter landscape.
“‘Chromatic Canopies’ presents a great example of how Rutgers Gardens can amplify student success in partnership with academic departments throughout Rutgers-New Brunswick,” said Errickson.
She also viewed the event as a means of highlighting the importance of Helyar Woods, which has been preserved for the purposes of ecological research and the study of woodland management. “This event also helped to connect the fact that the almost 60-acre forest is stewarded by Rutgers Gardens. This aspect of our botanic garden role is not as well known in our community,” added Errickson.
Lauren Errickson, Director of Rutgers Gardens and Campus Stewardship, and Chat Travieso, professor and Tepper Family Endowed Chair in Visual Arts at MGSA. Photo credit: Lori Nardoza, Office of Public Outreach and Communication.
Connecting art and the environment has also found expression in a new SEBS academic minor, “Creative Expression and the Environment,” under the Human Ecology major. Through this program, “students gain familiarity with fundamentals of environmental issues and learn to respond to them through creative expression in a variety of disciplines and media in the arts and humanities.”
While the student-driven presentation served as a burst of color during a season when the woodlands can be monochromatic, “Chromatic Canopies” was also a powerful reminder of wellness that can be found in nature.
This latter aspect of this collaborative art project drew the attention of Amy Spagnolo, ScarletWell Senior Program Coordinator, who came out to support the event on February 7.
“ScarletWell congratulates the organizers, faculty, and students at Mason Gross School of the Arts on their interactive Walking Tour of Chromatic Canopies: A Student-Created Public Art Installation in Helyar Woods, Rutgers Gardens. It was our great pleasure to meet Chat Travieso, hear from the student artists, and enjoy their contributions to the installation,” said Spagnolo.
A holistic wellness initiative launched in 2022 as part of the Rutgers—New Brunswick Academic Master Plan, ScarletWell prioritizes the health and wellness of students, faculty, and staff.
The university’s 180-acre botanic garden, Rutgers Gardens serves to enhance student success through transformative, multidisciplinary experiential learning opportunities and remains connected to the community by offering beautiful and peaceful greenspace with no admission fee. Rutgers Gardens welcomes visitors to enjoy the garden collections and natural areas Tuesday – Sunday, year-round.
