CORNING, NY.- The Rockwell Museum unveiled a surprise acquisition at a members-only event Thursday morning. The piece is highly unusual in that it is the first living acquisition ever to be a part of the Museums collection. Sam Van Akens Tree of 40 Fruit #87 is on permanent display in the Thomas Buechner Park, across the street from The Rockwell on Denison Parkway.
True to its name, the tree which was actually planted somewhat in secret in October 2018 and has been cared for diligently ever since will ultimately bear 40 different types of fruit. It currently has the ability to produce:
· Three types of apricots
· Two types of cherries
· A nectarine
· Two types of peaches
· A pluto
· Three Asian plums
· Five European plums
Van Aken created the living installation by grafting different varieties of stone fruit upon a single trunk to create a specific aesthetic vision. He searches for rare antique and heirloom varieties which include almonds, in addition to those listed above. Many are considered forgotten varieties, no longer commercially grown.
The sculpting process takes approximately five years, allowing time for each new season of grafts to successfully take to the tree. The Rockwells tree is the 87th in a series Van Aken has planted around the country. It was purchased with funds donated by Jeff Evenson and Karyn Cepek, Thomas Halgash and Laura Coleman, and the Clara S. Peck fund.
The diagram at left identifies each existing graft location, stone fruit variety and blooming period. This preparatory sketch serves as a map, allowing the artist to sculpt the tree and realize his artistic vision.
Members of the public can view the tree any time in the public Buechner Park and learn more about the installation inside The Rockwell Museum.
Since this acquisition is a living artwork, it allows us to establish a long-term relationship with the artist, said Rockwell Curator of Collections Kirsty Buchanan. Sam Van Aken will be on-site regularly to tend to the tree and bring it to its ultimate, impressive fruition.
The first uniquely American art movement, the Hudson River School, focused on Americas most defining characteristic: its landscape. Like these 19th century artists, Van Aken creates work of and about the landscape. Many of these artists created paintings that were more allegorical than authentic. They used composite drawings taken in the field to insert or remove elements to create a specific aesthetic vision. This editing of nature is much like Van Akens grafting practice. In this way, the Tree of 40 Fruit is the perfect addition to the Museums collection as it explores the American experience through fine art.
Sam Van Aken is a contemporary artist who works beyond traditional modes of art making, crossing artistic genres and disciplines to develop new perspectives on such themes as communication, botany, agriculture, climatology, and the ever-increasing impact of technology. Employing anti-structures and unknowing as generative processes, Van Akens interventions in the natural and public realm are seen as metaphors that serve as the basis of narrative, sites of place making, and in some cases, even become the basis of scientific research.
Born in Reading, PA, Van Aken received his undergraduate education in Art and Communication Theory. Immediately following his studies, he lived in Poland and worked with dissident artists under the former communist regime through the auspices of the Andy Warhol Foundation and the United States Information Agency. He received his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since this time, his work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, receiving numerous honors including a Joan Mitchell Foundation Award, Association of International Curators of Art Award and a Creative Capital Grant. Van Aken lives and works in Syracuse, NY, where he is currently an Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Coordinator for the School of Art at Syracuse University. His work is represented by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts.