Hettie and Audrey

Gregory Cherin

Thin steel cylinders are stacked just so, shaped and formed by the weight of each onto the next, and by their pressure on the ground or the trees that they lean upon. That is the work of Colgate professor DeWitt Godfrey, one of seven sculptors whose work is exhibited in Birth of a Shadow, the 46th Annual Contemporary Outdoor Sculpture Show at Chesterwood curated by gallerist Lauren Clark. Godfrey has two pieces in the show. His custom is to name his work after the place they are installed, and so he named them Hettie and Audrey, after Daniel Chester French’s principal models. This photo looks out through Audrey to Hettie, each with a large central element that you can walk through. They sit where Chesterwood’s woodland path splits, one on the right and the other on the left, each spanning the path as it winds its way around in a loop. Godfrey works with corten steel, whose final patina is changed by climate and environment. “It’s like building a stone wall,” says Godfrey of installing in what he calls consequential settings. “Seeing these pieces together is interesting, forming an entrance/exit to the loop.” The outdoor sculpture show runs through October 19. In addition to Godfrey, artists include Peter Barrett, Peter Dellert, Wendy Klemperer, Michael Thomas, Natalie Tyler, and Joe Wheaton. The opening reception at Chesterwood in Stockbridge is June 29, from 5 to 6 p.m. chesterwood.org

—Laura Mars