The Sapsucker Cairn by Andy Goldsworthy

To find the Sapsucker Cairn, follow the Hoyt-Pileated Trail, which begins across the road from the main entrance of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The cairn is located on the right just a few minutes down the trail.

The construction of Sapsucker Cairn was funded by the Andrew D. White Professors-at-Large Program which began in 1965 to bring renowned scholars to Cornell to connect with students and faculty. The Andy Goldsworthy’s Sapsucker Cairn also marked the end of his eight-year term as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large. It is constructed out of nine tons of locally quarried sandstone.

Andy Goldsworthy is a British environmental artist. He is known internationally for his work with site-specific sculpture, land art, and photography. His work expresses themes of impermanence, materiality and time. Goldsworthy crafts his installations out of natural materials including rocks, ice, branches, snow, leaves, bark, feathers and flower petals. His works have a temporary element, cognizant that the landscape is capable of change and challenging the belief that art should be made to be eternal.