Art represents life, life begets art. In this cycle we glean moments of introspection and perspective. We learn a little more about the human condition and our place in the universe. Right here in the HIlltowns one man has been working the world around him to represent those ephemeral concepts, to ask those questions through the medium of sculpture and space.
Three Sisters Sanctuary represents 50 years of Richard M. Richardson’s work, and his land is an installation art piece that invites visitors to move through its spaces and be moved by them in turn.
Spanning four acres, the land was purchased by Richard back in 1973. Apart from hosting his ongoing artistic endeavors, the plot is also home to Richard’s longstanding antique stove company, the Good Time Stove Co., a more traditional business that has provided him with a steady income through the years. It was hard work to build it to a point of prosperity, but the effort has paid off. It had long been Richard’s conviction that if he could be a successful businessman, then he could afford to be a starving artist – a proposition that doesn’t always work quite so well when executed in the opposite order.
Make no mistake, Richard’s artistry shines through at every possible chance. Folks who have driven on 112 North out of Goshen may recall seeing a giant tin man standing on the side of the road. This huge herald of whimsical things, handmade and heartfelt, is but one piece of the kaleidoscope that makes up Three Sisters Sanctuary. The building accompanying this monumental tin man is adorned with sculptures and signs, old objects which have been painted or welded into art, forming a panoramic mosaic of bits and bobs wrapping around the structure.
The building is home to the “gift shop”, aka Magical Mercantile, where Richard sells nothing. Well, you can pick up a post card, but realistically it’s full of beautiful art, paintings and signs, it’s got fairies on the shelves and colorful painted objects placed perfectly. If you wanted to discuss taking something home that’s possible but Richard doesn’t want to be a shop keep or purveyor of trinkets and tchotchkes.
Similarly, the requested donation is twenty bucks, but even the website says no one will be denied access for their inability to pay. This place is an experience and a sanctuary for art. You can’t put a price on that.
Moving through the gate there is an immediate sense of entering an intentionally crafted container. The paths are clear and guide you from installation to installation. Sculptures are given space and treated with reverence, simultaneously seeming to be juxtaposed against their wild surroundings while intrinsically playing off them. Metal birds spread their wings to fly beneath birch bows, fogged glass leaves space for the forest to fill in the rest of the image, and sculptural figures seem to capture an impression of life that’s more accurate for their abstractions.
There are tall cedars and other evergreens that form a beautiful skyline. While acting as natural dividers for the space, they also add to the volume of each container. There are some 300 trees helping join and divide in equal parts, while bringing a classical beauty. Amongst the trees you’ll also find roughly 300 standing stones. You’ll find them all around, large and small, placed together to form walkways and spirals, set out alone in the center of their own circular lawn, and as part of other sculptures.
Most of these stones come from back when the state finished Rt. 112 and filled in a plot of land with these hidden giants. That same plot now holds the Sanctuary and after years of work the stones have taken on a new life above ground. Richard says he’s got an excavator on the property roughly every other weekend helping to maintain and develop his projects.
These stones represent an incredible effort of stonework. Alongside the plethora of paving stones and stone structures, one comes across a stone oven which makes up the body of a massive stone dragon, open mouth spewing flames and smoke as a chimney when in use. The Dragon’s Den is a crowning jewel within the Sanctuary, and has drawn many to leave mementos and memorials on it’s curved back. From knicknacks to prayer cards for the beloved deceased, Richard has not added to the expanding collection but has reveled in its cultivation and marveled as it has grown and called folks back to it for visits. A shrine of sorts, the number of offerings rivals the presence of their mosaic encrusted draconic host.
But this is not the only attraction – there are plenty of installations and spaces scattered across the property. One space that can’t help but impress is the Theater in the Round. This space could have been transported from some Mediterranean garden, its classic beauty and open design seem to yearn for open philosophical debate or some roving theater troupe to take it over. The paths wind between these thought provoking areas, around each corner is a new experience to encounter.
Richard’s work isn’t done. Despite his intent to wind things down, he’s still thinking up projects that invite the viewer to consider their place and trajectory on this trip we call life. His current projects include a second dragon, a thing he never expected to do as his projects are unique and one of a kind. This new dragon will touch on those areas of life that can be frightening, such as the ever-constant march of time. Confronting mortality is a human experience, and Richard is tackling the whole concept with his full intent: Planning elements of periodic movement, a depiction of Father Time, and a driftwood spiral staircase to nowhere. With work already underway he’s hoping this fall yields some of the final touches.
“Discovering Our Wild World” By John Bonnett Wexo
If you’d like to explore a new space, to find a bit of sanctuary, look no further than Three Sisters Sanctuary in Goshen. It’s an experience worth having and a space worth sharing with the whole family. He does rent the space for weddings and other events, so be sure to stop through!
Three Sisters Sanctuary
Open 8am-6pm Daily
188 Cape St (Route 112)
Goshen, MA 01032
+1 413 268-3677