Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

The Eustis Estate, a historic house museum in Milton, Massachusetts, was designed in 1878 by architect William Ralph Emerson and is a gem of the Aesthetic Movement style of decoration. Since opening the property to the public in 2017, Historic New England (who own the estate) and the New England Sculptors Association have hosted two outdoor sculpture exhibitions featuring contemporary art on the grounds. The interpretation of the mansion and it’s “art for art’s sake” decorative ethos stands in contrast with the message driven pieces featured in the exhibitions. This paper examines how the contemporary works interact with the historical narratives and create engaging dialogues with visitors to the property. The outdoor artworks encourage engagement with the diverse communities surrounding the Eustis Estate and allow for reframing some of the stories of a Gilded Age mansion. Looking Back with 2020 Vision, the exhibition on view from August to October, 2021 is a look back at the unprecedented year and showcases artist responses to it. Through programming, the museum is also highlighting more voices and responses in other media such as music and dance, as well as encouraging people in their own creative expressions. This also dovetails with the organization’s documentation and collecting initiative, A Time to Remember, which is capturing people of New England’s experiences of the pandemic and its related history.