Unwanted Christmas trees to get new life in Union Square

On January 7, 2010, in Uncategorized, by The News Staff

Deean,(L)and Stoel,(R)

By Julia Fairclough

Ah,
the waste that the Christmas season generates. Among skeins of wrapping
paper and empty bottles of wine, those discarded trees on the curbside
are among the most visible reminders of the holiday's excesses.

Two
artists have a plan to breathe new life into this year's crop of
forgotten Christmas trees. Staring Jan. 23, they will begin installing
the unwanted evergreens in Union Square, shaping them into topiary-like
forms, and covering them with hot pink fabric.

"There is so
much stuff associated with the holidays that just gets tossed out
afterward," said Cambridge artist Meera Deean. "We wanted to make the
most out of the idea to reuse materials to extend the life of the
trees."

The project, spearheaded by Deean and former Somerville
resident Elizabeth Stoel, is a part of the ArtsUnion winter sculpture
series coordinated by the Somerville Arts Council.

Deean and
Stoel will be looking for tree donations to be installed in a plot near
the Somerville Community Access Television building, with donors able
to shape the tree however they want. Deean said the goal is to stage an
installation that involves the creativity of the community.

"We hope to see as much individual expression as possible," she said.

This
project is one of five installations that the arts council is planning
for this winter. An opening will be held for all of the projects in
late January, complete with hot cider to stay warm.

To find
out about donating your unwanted Christmas tree, send an e-mail to
somervilletopiaryfarm@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.somervilletopiaryfarm.blogspot.com.