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Burlington Sculpture Park Fundraiser to Assist Ukrainian Refugee Artist

The sculpture of the two big yellow cherries at the Burlington Sculpture Park titled  “Global Warming” is a favorite of visitors. The bright and cheerful cherries can be seen from across the Common and from passing cars. Upon closer inspection, visitors are delighted to find intricate maps of the world imprinted on the surface of the fruit. What many people do not realize is that, unlike the other sculptures in the park, the large cherries traveled quite a distance to get to Burlington – approximately 4,600 miles in fact.

Global Warming is the work of Ukrainian artist Nikita Zigura, who was, until recently, based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Last week, the Sculpture Park Committee was able to make contact with the artist and learned that he and his brother have escaped over the border into Poland, leaving everything including their home, studio and all their work behind.

The Sculpture Park Committee was planning to purchase the popular cherry sculpture this autumn when the 2 year lease was up but has now stepped up its fundraising efforts to purchase the work as soon as possible in order to send the funds to Zigura to help him find a new home and studio.

The Committee contacted Burlington’s generous business community and is also reaching out to residents and fans of the park to ask for help. No donation is too small.

Donations can be made through the website burlingtonsculpturepark.org. Just click on the “Ukraine Donations” link on the top right corner and complete the form.

Global Warming is made of acrylic and stainless steel and stands ninety inches in height. The artist’s statement about the piece is as follows:

cherries

“Global Warming” Sculpture

“We’ve lost Eden with Adam’s and Eve’s original sin, and keep losing its remnants to this day by ravishing the Earth. And yet, humankind could recreate its original Eden. We could transform the Earth into a blooming garden. Fruit is the quintessence of life, its most obvious and simplest symbol. Each of these “gifts of nature” contains an entire universe.

At present, the world is facing global warming. The changes are more prominent in some regions than others. They glow red on weather maps of the world like hot zones of military conflicts. The two ripe white cherries are an allegory and a creative rethinking of a global problem.”

Fans of Global Warming can learn more about artist Nikita Zigura by Clicking Here.

 

The Burlington Sculpture Park is an arts project of the Town of Burlington, Massachusetts. The park is located on Center Street between the Grandview Farm and the Burlington Police Station., and is open to visitors every day from dawn to dusk. Click Here to learn about donating and for more on this fundraiser and about the Sculpture Park contact Barbara L’Heureux at
 barbaralh@comcast.net 
or call  781-460-0054.