On October 13, Instructor and MVS Alumnus Joshua Thorpe (MVS 2009) — in collaboration with ERA Architects and Blackwell Engineers — unveiled his recent installation titled Flag Field at Maple Claire Park. The artwork consists of 14 flags on flag poles, ranging from 25 to 50 feet high, clustered into two areas in the park.

“This work moves from turf to sky, is activated by the wind, and plays on the topography of the park,” says Thorpe. “People can linger through paths in the poles, gaze up and space out, and kids can run about and play tag.”

Flag Field is part of an ongoing project to revitalize Maple Claire Park in light of funds becoming available from the adjacent Stockyards retail mall development. The revitalization includes new plantings, a new splash pad, a public art competition, and eventually a sports field.

Earlier this year, Thorpe launched a book titled The Unexpected with Emily Smit-Dicks. Through a combination of flash fiction and poetry, the book tells “a story of love in a hundred pages of slowly unfolding scenes in melancholy and joy.” The Unexpected is available for purchase through The Swimmers Group.