“UNTITLED #1383 (SISTERS – TWO TREES)”: This large-scale work by Peta Coyne is on view in the Museum Building at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton through March 2.

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton has announced that Petah Coyne’s Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees) is now on view in its Museum Building through March 2. The large-scale sculpture is on loan from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), which is sharing this work from its permanent collection through Art Bridges Foundation’s Partner Loan Network.

Created using unconventional materials such as apple trees and taxidermized peacocks, Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees) compares and contrasts elegantly with the garden landscape of GFS. The view from inside the gallery looks out upon the gardens, inviting opportunities for deeper discussions on nature, climate, temporality, and whimsy.

These core themes underscore the inherent interplay between sculpture and landscape, a cornerstone of GFS founder Seward Johnson’s, vision for the park.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to exhibit Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees) at Grounds For Sculpture,” said Kathleen Greene, chief audience officer at Grounds For Sculpture. “This work’s use of unconventional, yet natural, materials enables us to expand the experience of contemporary sculpture at GFS while considering key themes surrounding nature, preservation, and fantasy. We are very grateful to both PAFA and Art Bridges for their support in presenting this installation to our community, which will help us deepen our engagement with key stakeholders and forge a relationship with our peer institution, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.”

In Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees), flora and fauna are brought together in a reverential yet imaginative way. The installation’s central element is made from two real trees that were cut and reformed to create one large branching shape that is 15 feet high and 25 feet wide. Upon the branches, Coyne places more than a dozen taxidermized peacocks. Surrounding the tree are floral elements, which rest on the branches and on the floor around its base. Peacocks are a reoccurring theme throughout literature and folklore, where they are often used to represent many different ideas and concepts. Coyne incorporates these birds often in her work, and she notes their association in Irish folklore with escorting the dead to the afterlife.

“We are excited to partner with Grounds For Sculpture to bring Petah Coyne’s remarkable work, Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees), to the sculpture park,” said Art Bridges CEO Anne Kraybill. “This collaboration highlights our ongoing mission to share significant works of American art with diverse audiences, fostering reflection and engagement.”

Coyne (b. 1953, Oklahoma City, Okla.) graduated from the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 1977. Her work has been the subject of more than 30 solo museum exhibitions and resides in numerous permanent museum collections. She is the past recipient of grants from the Pollock Krasner Foundation, Anonymous was a Woman, and the Guggenheim Foundation. In 2024 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center.

Grounds For Sculpture is located at 80 Sculptors Way in Hamilton. For more information, visit groundsforsculpture.org.