The amphitheater in the forest at Michigan Legacy Art Park, located at Crystal Mountain, includes rustic bench seating for concert listeners.
Story and most photos by Stewart A. McFerran
A forest of large trees dominates the shoulders of Crystal Mountain. Among the trees is a park with steep trails called the Michigan Legacy Art Park. Founded in 1995 by artist David Barr, the nonprofit park encompasses 30 acres and, according to a statement on the park’s website, is meant to be “a place that expresses Michigan’s history through the arts.”
Sculptures installed in the art park years ago undoubtedly have been touched by falling leaves and twigs, even hit by branches, during that time. Far from the static environment of art galleries and museums, where curators attend to the art objects in climate-controlled conditions, the sculptures displayed at the park bear the full brunt of all seasons.
“Because we are a forested sculpture park, occasionally we have wind events that bring trees down,” Angie Quinn, the park’s director, said. “We want to protect the art.”
Telling stories
On a recent walk in the Crystal Mountain forest, I saw the weathered art along the trail. From the ridge trail above the venue, I noticed the amplified music of the band playing somewhere below me was undiminished ⸺ distorted, but not muffled. The Timebombs blasted their mix of ’90s rock to the approval of the crowd seated in the rustic amphitheater. The guitarist’s words echoed from the tree trunks as he explained how he got the cast on his foot.
In all, six concerts were scheduled at Michigan Legacy Art Park this summer.
“Although we are primarily a sculpture park, we like to offer other types of arts as well, which is why we offer the concert series,” Quinn explained. “The music is diverse (and) family friendly. We have Eastern European jazz music; we’ve got world music (and) we’ve got country music …. The way the amphitheater is designed … you can sit on benches, but most people bring folding chairs.”
Quinn shared the size of the park’s art collection with me. She explained that 50 of the sculptures are in the park’s permanent collection, some installed since the park’s inception almost 30 years ago. She said other pieces are found in a temporary gallery at the park’s entrance, and those rotate “every few years.”
“Right now, we have a show there that is going into its second year,” Quinn said, adding, “and these are all (works by) emerging artists from around Michigan.”
Sharing the story of Michigan’s history and culture in this natural setting, using contemporary arts, is a work-in-progress.
“Our collection committee will think about what part of the story are we not telling yet,” Quinn commented.
In addition to the sculpture trail and concerts, the park offers programs for adults and youth. Spring and summer activities include guided early-morning birdwatching and wildflower hikes, and creative time for kids such as haiku-writing and crafts.
Sharing sounds
Bands performing in the Summer Sounds concert series become part of the musical story of the park. Two upcoming concerts promise eclectic, sometimes electric, listening.
On July 29, Yid Vicious, a six-member band, will perform klezmer music crafted using a mix of clarinets, fiddle, horn, vocals, guitar, accordion, tuba, drums and sometimes theremin, an electronic “instrument” played without touching the device, one you may have heard in old science fiction or horror movies.
Hatchwing Rider will take the stage on Aug. 29, closing out the concert series with tunes described as “folk-rock paired with a restless psychedelic Americana.” Members of the band play guitars, keyboard and drums to create sounds from rock and country to soul and blues.
Concerts are 7-9 p.m., and tickets to each performance are $10 in advance (plus a processing fee), $15 at the door for adults, and free for children aged 12 and under. Tickets are available online by going to: michlegacyartpark.org/summer-sounds-2022.
Listening to all these sounds in the ambiance of the art park is a treat. Those attending a Summer Sounds concert can either walk the quarter mile from the parking lot to the amphitheater or hitch a ride in a golf cart. Either way, your visit is much more than just a trek in the woods.
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in print with the headline, “Not just a walk in the woods”.
Stewart Allison McFerran illuminates current environmental issues in a historic context. He hopes readers will gain an understanding of and insight into ways people interact with their environment.
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