Artists & Communities Host Site: Bradford County Regional Arts Council
601 Main Street
Towanda, PA 18848
E-mail: info@bcrac.org
Web site: www.bcrac.org/

Millennium Artist:
Robert Possehl
Environmental Artist
Wisconsin
E-mail: untilnow@frontiernet.net

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The art of constructing and the act of walking labyrinths are ancient, often sacred, meditation tools for reflection and spiritual enlightenment.

For those that choose to walk a labyrinth, the experience is often about change, growth, meditation, discovery, movement, transformation, and continuously expanding one's vision of what is possible. Recently, in Towanda, Pennsylvania, this centuries-old art form experienced a renaissance, as a way to offer a focusing experience in a society buzzing with change and activity.

Millennium Artist Robert Possehl spent seven months during the spring and summer of 2000 working with Bradford Regional Arts Council on an ambitious Artists & Communities residency. Possehl and the Arts Council sought to extend the reach of their residency beyond the geographic boundaries of Towanda, and reach throughout Pennsylvania's Northern Tier region.

During his residency, Possehl consulted with a number of community organizations to create designs for site-specific labyrinth walks designed to increase cultural, community, and environmental awareness. He met with representatives from the participating organizations to explore concepts, site characteristics, and community goals that might inform his work. After completing final designs, Possehl met with the organizations again to discuss creation of the final work. At the completion of his residency, Possehl had created original designs for 10 site partners. Temporary installations were created at six of the 10 sites out of materials such as line marker on grass, crushed slate, and marble.

Completed labyrinths include "Fleur-De-Lis" for the French Azilum Historical Site in Towanda; "Wind" for the Barclay Friends School in Towanda; "Eagle" for the Tree of Life Sanctuary in West Clifford; "Here & Now: Eliminate Racism Wherever It Exists" for the YWCA in Erie; "Sun & Moon" for the Self-Discovery Wellness Arts Center in Montrose; and "Swallows" for Rekindle the Spirit in Canton. Several of these partners are exploring the financial possibility of creating their labyrinth designs as components of larger, permanent gardens.

The remaining four sites, Tyler Memorial Hospital in Tunkhannock; Sullivan County Historical Society in LaPorte; North Penn High School; and Carantouan Greenway in Sayre, have designs from the artist and are in the process of securing funds for construction.

Possehl explains his penchant for labyrinth-making, saying, "the labyrinth's potential as a tool for building bridges, solving problems, and healing hearts and minds is limitless. Although labyrinth-making is very personal in regards to my own sensibilities as an artist, the experience of walking and participating in it is very public and community-oriented."

MILLENNIUM ARTIST BIO

Robert Possehl is an environmental artist, lecturer, and educator whose work has been featured through the Walker Art Center, St. Francis of the Woods Retreat Center, the Paseo Festival, John Ross Elementary School, and Integris Medical Center.