Heather Hart had one notion in mind when she built Oracle of Intimation, now on display at Newfields, A Place for Nature and the Art: To get Black people out and about in nature.
“This is my language of taking up space quite literally,” she told EBONY at the opening of Home Again. The installation is part of an outside exhibition at the Hawryluk Sculpture Green inside the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at Newfields in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“I’m really asking visitors, especially Black visitors, to join me and occupy this space for a bit; make it their own,” she continued. “I hope to catalyze some space for Black people in nature and in an art world that they haven’t historically been as welcomed into.”
Heather Hart at Newfields’ Home Again exhibition at Newfields in Indianapolis, Indiana. Image: EBONY.
During her studies, Hart noted that many large-scale artworks were constructed by “modernist, audacious white men of the mid-century, making these giant sculptures out of steel. And it was always part of my thought pattern, why aren’t there Black women doing more of these works,” she shared. “I think that having an opportunity to take up space as a Black woman is really important.”
Constructed largely with recycled wood from fallen Maple, Sycamore, and Black Locust trees in the park, Hart learned about construction from her father. “I grew up building things like rooftops, decks and projects with him.” She’s made her latest design interactive for guests. “You can climb on top of it and go underneath. You’re welcome to plug your smartphone into a jack inside. And then the whole rooftop acts as a speaker box.”
As Hart designs spaces that become a “fun exploration of space through physical interaction,” Newfields has planned a wide-ranging series of public programs to engage its patrons, like its Community Lunch Break. The institution encourages guests to pack a picnic and enjoy lunch al fresco on the final Friday of each month and join a member of Newfields’ Education staff and a special guest to learn about their favorite spot in Fairbanks Park.
