2021 Art on the Trail

Running Wheel is a fun, interactive sculpture with an engaging design and multiple levels of interpretation. It depicts 26 realistic legs in a wheel formation, symbolizing the 26 miles of a marathon. Viewers can spin the sculpture so the legs appear to be running. The blur they create is similar to the sea of legs observed in a large road race, like the Boston Marathon. The sculpture represents the democratic nature of the sport of running, where nearly anyone can participate, not merely athletic elites. Running Wheel can also be seen as a metaphor for a marathoner’s endless routine, or for the busy lives people lead.

The fountain is on loan as statuary to the Hopkinton Cultural Council as part of Art on the Trail. It’s future home as a fountain will be in the Shakespear Garden at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts dedicated in memory of the donor’s son; Joseph A. Velasquez. The donor’s vision is that it leaves an impact of calmness, creativity, ever-changing life and reflection of peace.

I’ve learned a lot about running and running has taught me a lot about myself. There are a few universal truths among runners: no matter what kind of day you’re having, you never regret have gone for a run. The push or struggle of running that exists across so many levels - mental, physical, or emotional - is all left at the finish line, regardless of whether that line exists in paint and medals, or within the crack at the end of your driveway. Finishing strong when you are “down to the wire” can be applied to any task in life, but it is a concept born of running. I love that anyone can be a runner. Your size, your shape, and your speed truly don’t matter. That’s what gave me the idea to construct a runner formed out of wire hangers Runners are all “wired” the same. I hope that people along the trail see something of themselves within my piece. The inspiration I hope to leave is this: in order to run toward something, you must leave something behind. I’ve learned to let things go.

“Montage to Hopkinton” 

By Mary Holden, Three Chicks Farm

“When they eat plastic for dinner, so do you!” 

By Robert Gilbert representing the Hopkinton Sustainable Green Committee