Art inspired by state park’s beach grass to be displayed

In January, artist Monroe Isenberg set up shop for a week in Cape Henlopen State Park and began creating art using American beach grass as inspiration. Now, Isenberg’s artwork is finished and will be on display in the state park beginning Monday, May 8.

The project is a partnership with Philadelphia-based Past Present Projects, which facilitates contemporary art exhibitions in partnership with historic sites. It’s the first of its kind for the state parks.

During his week-long residency, Isenberg stayed in a cabin on the western edge of the state park. He used sheets of Dura-Lar as the canvas, setting them up over patches of the beach grass. Some of the canvasses were covered and chalk so the grass could scrape it away as the wind blew. At least one patch of grass had chalk tied to individual pieces so it could mark up the blank canvas as the wind blew. Throughout the week, Isenberg played with the amount of exposure a canvas got with the grass, color and layering.

There will be about a dozen works on display accompanied by a short video on Isenberg’s creation process. The artwork will be on display through Sunday, May 14, in the T-607 barracks building of Fort Miles in the state park.

For more information, go to www.pastpresentprojects.org/dune-drawings or email Past Present Projects founder Heather Moqtaderi at heather@pastpresentprojects.org.