New Public Art in Inman Square
Photo by Ben Cheung Photography
A crane carefully swung “Edge of the Forest,” a 12-foot-tall steel sculpture of a deer, into place in Vellucci Plaza, the heart of Cambridge’s Inman Square, on July 18. The sculpture's creator, Mark Reigelman watched as workers anchored it into place.
The Brooklyn-based artist’s idea for the 3,500-pound deer—and its title—were inspired by the history of this recently reconstructed and improved intersection where Cambridge, Antrim and Hampshire (which becomes Beacon in Somerville) streets come together.
Reigelman notes that before 1876 this area was largely referred to as Atwood’s Corner for James Atwood, who had a house at the intersection and ran Atwood Stand, a grocery store.
“Atwood, a traditional surname for someone who lives ‘at the wood,’ marked an on-the-nose rendition for what would become a region that lay on the proverbial edge,” Reigelman says. “In the 1950’s, when local streetcar service was shut down leaving Inman Square ‘just a little bit out of the way,’ the community developed its roots as a hub for fringe movements, artists, and activists.”