“Duryea Redux” by Beth Crawford (Springfield, MA): Sculpture

Beth Crawford

Sculpture

Website/Instagram: @yellowdog.noho

Title: Duryea Redux

Theme:

Springfield Massachusetts is the home of the first American automobile manufacturer, the Duryea Motor Wagon Company located on Taylor Street, a short distance from Pynchon Park. While the age of automobiles ushered in many positive changes in American society, a century later we understand how our reliance on automobiles has negatively affected our environment. This is evident in Springfield where in the mid-twentieth century Interstate 91 was built, effectively cutting off people from the city’s wonderful natural resource, the Connecticut River. Gasoline powered cars emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change, which hurts the natural world around us. A notable effect is the harm it does to our natural pollinators such as bees, beetles and other insects that are critical to the survival of our ecosystem. At this time 40% of our natural pollinators are facing extinction. This sculpture and the plantings around it celebrate the important role the city played in the creation of the automobile while recognizing the need to act to mitigate the damage done by our love of this creation. This sculpture is made from iron rings used to reinforce wooden wagon wheels which would have been in regular use on the streets of Springfield when Charles Duryea created his “motorized wagon”. It includes three concentric circles, symbolizing the full-circle we’ve come in understanding the importance of our environment, as well as representing the continuation of life itself. The garden will be planted with native plants that will provide natural pollinators with nutritionally dense food to support their survival. An important feature of the sculpture is that almost all of materials used are locally sourced and recycled; the iron circles are recycled from wagon wheels, a nod to the name of Charles Duryea’s company; and the base is recycled from stone used in the city around the time the Duryea brothers were working here. There are other projects in Springfield that celebrate the accomplishments of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, specifically Duryea Way. This project is different in that it is a reaction on how our love of the automobile has changed our natural environment. The name of the project is symbolic of its purpose. The word redux is derived from the Latin word “reducere” which means to lead back or bring back. This project leads us back to a prior time in Springfield’s history and brings back natural pollinators to the city.