July 23, 2025
CLARK ART INSTITUTE PRESENTS FREE DISCUSSION ON GROUND/WORK 2025 ARTIST ABOUBAKAR FOFANA’S SCULPTURE,
BANA YIRIW NI SHI FOLOW (TREES AND SEEDS OF LIFE)
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Saturday, August 2 at 1 pm, the Clark Art Institute presents the next installment in the Ground/work 2025: A Close Look discussion series. Through guided conversation and reflection, participants consider how each artist’s work is in active dialogue with the Clark’s natural environment.
On August 2, a Clark educator leads a close examination and in-depth discussion around the outdoor sculpture Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life) by artist Aboubakar Fofana. The artist, who has redefined and reinvigorated West African indigo dying techniques, includes spirals of handwoven, hand-dyed cloth made from plants grown on his farm in Mali in his sculpture, a "tree of life."
The next Ground/work 2025: A Close Look discussion takes place on August 9 at 1 pm and examines Milena Naef’s Three Times Spanning.
Ground/work 2025 is a year-long exhibition of monumental sculpture featuring specially commissioned works located across the Clark’s campus. Through the work of six international artists, the exhibition explores global conceptions of craft, defined as the physical process by which artists transform the world around them. Each of the participating artists exemplifies how artisanal traditions can be reinvented to generate contemporary form and meaning. The Ground/work 2025 artists are: Yō Akiyama (Japan), Laura Ellen Bacon (United Kingdom), Aboubakar Fofana (Mali), Hugh Hayden (United States), Milena Naef (Germany), and Javier Senosiain (Mexico).
Ground/work 2025 is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by independent scholar Glenn Adamson.
Ground/work 2025 is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel. Major funding is provided by the Edward and Maureen Fennessy Bousa Fund for Contemporary Projects, Karen and Robert Scott, and VIA Art Fund, with additional support from Thomas and Lily Beischer, Girlfriend Fund, and Agnes Gund.
Free. Requires a moderate hike on uneven and occasionally steep terrain. Held rain or shine; extreme weather cancels the event. For more information and individual meeting sites, visit clarkart.edu/events.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of nearly 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free to all from January through March and is $20 from March through December; admission is free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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