Maren Hassinger’s Monument (Pyramid)

Margaret Ewing, the Horace W. Goldsmith Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, leads a discussion on Maren Hassinger’s Monument (Pyramid) (2022). Acquired in 2024, the monumental sculpture is made of hundreds of thin, tightly woven tree branches and reflects the importance of community engagement in Hassinger’s practice. In late September, it was constructed in the Margaret and Angus Wurtele Sculpture Garden by Yale undergraduate students and members of the Gallery’s staff. The talk will share details about the installation process and explore how Monument (Pyramid) exemplifies Hassinger’s characteristic marriage of spare forms with social and political themes, including questions about who has access to nature and about our relationships to the built and natural environments.