Artist Walk & Talk: Root System 2026

The talk begins at approximately 3:30 PM and includes a guided tour of the exhibition. Sturdy walking shoes are recommended (no sandals!), as you’ll be led along the Forest & Wildflower Preserve trails.

Over several months, ten artists met regularly with sculpture Park curator Doris Cand worked to develop new, site-responsive projects exploring roots, rhizomes, and interconnected systems of life. Drawing on the ecological networks of the South Mountain Reservation, the resulting works engage themes of community, history, ancestry, resilience, symbiosis, and environmental stewardship — activating the landscape through sculptural installation.

A map of the exhibit locations can be downloaded HERE: https://www.somocon.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WSP-Root-Systems-Map-and-Artists-2026.pdf.

Participating artists and works include:

Anonda Bell — Mycenae

Corrine Carr — Networks of Life

Christine DaCruz — See the Forest Through the Trees

Kate Eggleston — Bear Trap

Samar Hussaini — The Land Lives Within Us

HAMEWS — Grief Circus

Karen Leo — Loose Leaf

Alessandra Puglisi — Molt

Jimena Vega — Cuerpo – Tierra (Body – Earth)

Willa Vucetaj — Ema for Our Roots

Projects will be on exhibition from September until November 2026. The Wildflower and Forest Preserve is a 14-acre enclosure constructed in 2008 as part of the South Mountain Conservancy’s and Essex County’s initiative to restore the understory and ecology of the forest. In addition to its role in forest regeneration, the Preserve serves as a destination to educate and engage people of all ages. With a simple trail system, preservation and stewardship programs, and artwork from the Wildflower Sculpture Park, the Preserve is a special destination in the park. Please contact us with any questions or for more information at sculpturepark@somocon.org

The precursor to this program is curator Doris Caçoilo’s Wonder Women residency, which has been running for over 15 years. The Wonder Women mission is to engage local artists who are eager r to participate in a collective dialogue about art, social change and environmental stewardsh. Special thanks to the team at Form Design Studio at Express Newark, Rutgers University for collaboration on the exhibition signs.