INDIANAPOLIS, IND.- The Indianapolis Museum of Art will mark the two year anniversary of the opening of 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park by premiering its tenth site-specific installation, Chop Stick, an inventive concession stand designed by the Swedish architecture duo visiondivision. Chop Stick will debut at the IMA’s annual Summer Solstice celebration June 16, 2012, which will be free to the public. Also this summer, the Park will host its third resident on Andrea Zittel’s Indy Island, present an exciting slate of new programming, and offer improved access to the Park’s trail system.

Located on 100 acres of land that includes untamed woodlands, wetlands, a lake, and meadows adjacent to the Museum, 100 Acres is one of the largest museum art parks in the country and one of only a few to feature the ongoing commission of temporary, site-responsive artworks. 100 Acres opened with eight newly commissioned works by Atelier Van Lieshout, Kendall Buster, Alfredo Jaar, Jeppe Hein, Los Carpinteros, Tea Mäkipää, Type A and Andrea Zittel, as well as a LEED-certified visitor center and numerous walking trails that highlight the indigenous landscape. In 2011, the IMA added a site-specific installation in 100 Acres and along Indianapolis’ White River by New York-based artist Mary Miss. The Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion, designed by architect Marlon Blackwell and a 2012 American Institute of Architects Honor Award winner, highlights the surrounding environment and provides a peaceful respite for Park visitors. Numerous walking trails, designed by landscape architect Ed Blake, emphasize the macro and microscopic forms found naturally throughout the Park.

Since opening in June 2010, 100 Acres has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors. The Park has become a popular spot in the city for jogging, fishing, hiking, picnicking, bird-watching, art crawls, family outings and school trips. This summer, visitors will have greater access to the Park’s three miles of hiking trails with the addition of a causeway that will create a continuous trail around the 35-acre lake. “We’re thrilled that the community loves 100 Acres,” said Lisa Freiman, senior curator and chair of the IMA’s Department of Contemporary Art. “With the 2012 Park season, we hope to make it even more engaging with new amenities and programs for visitors like a concession stand that is literally a work of art, an intimate outdoor flute performance with renowned musician Thomas Robertello, and opportunities to learn about ‘the wild’ with the new Indy Island resident, A. Bitterman.”

Chop Stick
The IMA has commissioned a concession stand from the Swedish architecture duo visiondivision for 100 Acres. Visiondivision’s first realized project in the United States, Chop Stick will offer Park visitors a place to sit, swing, and enjoy refreshments in an outdoor pavilion crafted almost entirely from a single tree. Chop Stick will open on June 16, 2012, as part of the annual Summer Solstice celebration in 100 Acres.

Visiondivision’s concession stand design employs a single, 100-foot-tall tulip tree the state tree of Indiana—as its primary raw material. The tree, found in a forest near Anderson, Ind., was transported to 100 Acres with a large portion of its limbs intact and is oriented and engineered to form the central horizontal beam of the structure. Portions of the tree have been strategically removed to create the concession stand—including swings, benches, tables, and light fixtures. The tree’s bark will be repurposed as shingles adorning the façade of the concession stand.

The design for Chop Stick is based on the premise that every product—whether it is a cell phone, a car, a stone floor, or a wooden building—is a compound of different elements of nature, each of which are harvested in specific ways. Chop Stick will function as a rich educational tool that reveals the processes that are usually hidden as trees are harvested and undergo refinement and transformation into structures.

Chop Stick will offer a variety of refreshments and healthy snacks for Park visitors, including child-friendly foods, juices, savory snacks, beer and wine, as well as helpful items such as sunscreen and insect repellent. Water will be complimentary for those who bring their own bottle or purchase a reusable 100 Acres water bottle. Visitors to Chop Stick will also enjoy access to free Wi-Fi.